The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust

What The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust does

The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust (company limited by guarantee, no. 8737435; charity no. 249318) operating 41 academies across Norfolk and the Waveney Valley in Suffolk, England. It delivers primary, infant, nursery, and secondary education — the sole secondary school, The Open Academy, having shifted from 11-19 to 11-16 provision — organized into local federations (Eden, Unity, Dove, Kingfisher) supported by a regional Academies Group Executive Principal (AGEP) model across East, South-West, and West regions.

The Trust's core operating model combines direct academy delivery with shared central services. Academy improvement is delivered through dedicated AGEPs, termly Academy Improvement Reviews, Headteacher Regional Alliances, and Diocesan School Support Officers (DSSOs). Back-office functions — HR, finance, governance, and policy support — are routed through DoNESC (Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company), a not-for-profit subsidiary established in September 2019 and jointly owned with the Diocese of Norwich. Technology infrastructure is entirely off-the-shelf: a WordPress website, GovernorHub for governance, Office 365, and MultiQuote for procurement.

Revenue is derived primarily from per-pupil Department for Education funding via Master Funding Agreements and GAG pooling, supplemented by DoNESC service fees charged on contractual terms to academies, sister MAT St Benet's, and VA/VC schools. The Trust is governed by a Members body and a Trust Board of Trustees with committees covering Education Standards and Performance, Finance and Operations, People and Remuneration, and Audit, Governance and Risk. The senior executive team comprises CEO Oliver Burwood, Deputy CEO Rachael Judd, and COO Stephen Beeson.

Name

The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust

Legal name

Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust

Website

https://dneat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust (DNEAT) is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust operating 41 primary, nursery, and secondary academies across Norfolk and the Waveney Valley, providing shared central services through subsidiary DoNESC to schools rooted in Christian values.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (6117)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-District Consortia & Shared Services Authorities (EDADABAN)

Keywords

• Multi academy trust
• Primary school education
• Secondary school education
• Education support services
• Church school governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Academy Funding Agreements): DNEAT receives government funding through Master Funding Agreements and supplemental funding agreements with the Department for Education. Funding is pooled through GAG (General Annual Grant) pooling mechanisms and distributed to academies based on pupil numbers and educational needs.
2. Central Services (DoNESC): The Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC) provides back-office services including HR, finance, governance, and policy support to academies on a contractual basis. This generates service fees that support central operations while delivering cost efficiencies through shared services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DNEAT operates a Multi Academy Trust of 41 academies providing primary, infant, nursery and secondary education rooted in Christian values across Norfolk and the Waveney Valley in Suffolk. The Trust delivers centralized school improvement and back-office services — including academy improvement, governance, HR, finance and policy support — primarily through its subsidiary DoNESC, alongside collaborative professional development programs for teachers and school leaders.

Product overview

DNEAT operates as a Multi Academy Trust providing a network of 41 academies across Norfolk and the Waveney Valley, ranging from nursery/primary schools to secondary education (The Open Academy). The organization is structured around federations of schools (such as Eden Federation, Unity Federation, Dove Federation) that collaborate for shared improvement. Core services include direct academy improvement support through dedicated AGEPs (Academies Group Executive Principals), Diocesan School Support Officers, and REQM training. DoNESC provides centralized back-office services including governance, HR, policy, and finance support. The trust also offers comprehensive professional development programs including NQT training, leadership networks, and career development pathways.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DoNESC (Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company): A not-for-profit education support services company providing back office services including finance, HR, governance, and policy support to DNEAT and St Benet's MAT academies and VA/VC schools.

Products and services

• DNEAT Academy Network A network of 41 academies providing primary, infant, nursery and secondary education for children and young people in Norfolk and the Waveney Valley, organized into federations (e.g., Eden Federation, Unity Federation, Dove Federation) for collaborative working. Includes The Open Academy (secondary, ages 11-16).
• Academy Improvement Services School improvement support delivered through dedicated Academies Group Executive Principals (AGEPs) for each region, Diocesan School Support Officers (DSSOs) for pastoral care, termly Academy Improvement Reviews, and Religious Education Quality Mark (REQM) training at bronze, silver or gold standards.
• DoNESC (Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company) Back-office services company providing high-quality, value-for-money governance, HR, finance, policy and business operations support to DNEAT academies, the sister trust St Benet's MAT, and Voluntary Aided/Voluntary Controlled schools, under formal contracts with SLAs and independent VFM reviews every three years.
• Professional Development Programs Career Entitlement program for staff including NQT training, subject leadership networks, an Assessment Hub, Senior Leadership development, NPQ qualifications, Shirley Clarke assessment training, and secondment opportunities across the MAT. Includes the partnership with TeachFirst (since 2018) for 'growing your own' teachers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ofsted improvement: 53% schools good or better (Sept 2017) increased to 84% schools good or better (April 2020)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St Benet's Multi Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Benet's MAT is a sister trust within the Diocese of Norwich family. DNEAT and St Benet's share key staff through secondments to provide reciprocal support, collaborate on policies via the Joint Policy Development Committee, and work together with DoNESC to plan operational support for academies. Both MATs benefit from Diocesan School Support Officers (DSSOs).
• Diocese of Norwich Education Services Company (DoNESC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoNESC is a not-for-profit company established in September 2019 to provide back-office services (HR, finance, governance, policy) to DNEAT, St Benet's MAT, and VA/VC schools. It is jointly owned by the Diocese of Norwich with three independent directors and board including representatives from both MATs. DoNESC produces annual VFM reports and undergoes independent reviews every three years.
• TeachFirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNEAT partnered with TeachFirst starting in 2018 to address recruitment and retention challenges. The partnership enables DNEAT to 'grow their own' teachers through a research-based program. DNEAT mentors trainees and one Deputy Headteacher serves as TeachFirst Lead Mentor for the East of England.
• Boleyn TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNEAT is working with National and Specialist Leaders of Education (NLEs and SLEs) from the Boleyn Trust in London. The collaboration began to improve teaching practice in one academy but has expanded, providing mutual benefits for children and staff across both trusts.
• Sapientia TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNEAT is working with Norfolk-based Sapientia Trust to provide leadership support to some DNEAT academies. The trust also reciprocates by offering support to Sapientia schools, benefiting the broader school system.
• Diocese of Chichester (DCAT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDNEAT headteachers of larger academies visited the Diocese of Chichester to learn how they rapidly improved standards in larger, contextually similar academies. This collaboration provides access to expertise beyond DNEAT in MATs with shared purpose and values.
• Shirley Clarke (Education Consultant)minorOthersDNEAT staff participated in a learning team with Shirley Clarke as action researchers, developing pedagogical approaches across the MAT. The collaboration transformed teaching practice through the use of Growth Mindset. Multiple DNEAT staff completed year-long projects with Shirley Clarke focusing on assessment, feedback, and reducing teacher workload.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Academy Transformation Trust: National Multi Academy Trust operating schools across multiple English regions. Comparable in MAT structure and school improvement ethos, though broader geographic footprint and more diverse academy mix than DNEAT's church-school concentration.
• Reach2 Academy Trust: Large national Multi Academy Trust operating primary schools across England with a strong school-improvement focus. Comparable in MAT model and educational mission but with significantly broader geographic scope and scale than DNEAT.

Direct peers

• Anglian Learning: Multi Academy Trust operating schools across the East of England, comparable in scale, regional concentration, and structural model. Overlaps with DNEAT in pupil geography and competes for the same academy-conversion pipeline.
• East Anglian Schools Trust: Multi Academy Trust operating schools across East Anglia. Direct comparable in regional focus, federated structure, and educational mission; linked to DNEAT through trustee overlaps.
• Boleyn Trust: Multi Academy Trust partnering with DNEAT via National and Specialist Leaders of Education (NLEs/SLEs) to improve teaching practice. Direct comparable in MAT structure and school improvement mission, though operating primarily in London.
• Diocese of Ely Multi Academy Trust (DEMAT): Diocesan Multi Academy Trust operating Church of England schools across a comparable East Anglia footprint. Directly comparable in ethos, governance model, federations structure, and target market of diocesan church schools seeking MAT partnership.
• Diocese of Chichester Education Trust: Diocesan Multi Academy Trust that DNEAT visited for best-practice learning on improving standards in larger academies. Direct comparable in Church of England structure, ethos, federated governance, and diocesan backing.
• Sapientia Education Trust: Norfolk-based Multi Academy Trust that reciprocates leadership support with DNEAT. Directly comparable in geography, scale, and educational mission; partners with DNEAT to share best practice across academies.
• The Active Learning Trust: Multi Academy Trust operating schools in East Anglia with comparable federated structure and central services model. Direct comparable in scale and educational mission; one DNEAT trustee also serves on this Trust's board.
• St Benet's Multi Academy Trust: Sister Multi Academy Trust within the Diocese of Norwich family, sharing key staff through secondments, collaborating on policies via the Joint Policy Development Committee, and jointly using DoNESC services. Direct structural comparable serving similar Church of England schools in overlapping Norfolk/Waveney geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/dneat_academies

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust