Our Commitment to our Church Schools

At OCMAT, our vision is rooted in inclusion, community, and compassion. We are committed to ensuring that every pupil and every member of staff working in our church schools feels a deep sense of belonging. We believe that through belonging, all can flourish and celebrate excellence in every aspect of school life.

We are unapologetically ambitious for all our children — striving to provide the very best opportunities. Our church schools play a vital role in realising this vision, where Christian values guide daily practice and where love, kindness, and respect underpin everything we do.

Bishop Rose visiting Borden CE Primary School

We also champion peer-to-peer review, creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration and reflection across our schools. Governors are warmly encouraged and welcomed to play an active role in this process, helping to nurture shared accountability and continuous improvement.

OCMAT works closely with the Diocese of Canterbury, ensuring our schools and leaders are well supported through training, guidance, and development opportunities. We are proud that our CEO serves on the Diocesan Board of Education’s Schools Committee and one of our Executive Headteachers sits on the Board of Education for the Diocese — a partnership that strengthens our shared mission to enable all to live life in all its fullness.

Bishop Rose visiting Selling CE Primary School

Christian Distinctiveness Committee

Our Christian Distinctiveness Committee brings together school and trust leaders to review, celebrate, and strengthen the Christian character of each of our church schools. This shared space allows us to learn from one another, share best practice, and grow collectively in faith and excellence.

This committee is further strengthened by the active involvement of the Deputy Director of Education for the Canterbury Diocese, together with our school leaders, the CEO, and the Standards Executive Officer. Their collective engagement ensures a genuine two-way dialogue and robust support mechanisms between the schools and the central team.

How does the vision of OCMAT resonate with the school's theologically rooted Christian vision?

The vision of OCMAT is deeply aligned with each school’s theologically rooted Christian vision through its shared emphasis on inclusion, community, and compassion, underpinned by a profound commitment to collaboration.

We ensure that every individual is uniquely valued, created in the image of God, and deserving of belonging and opportunity. OCMAT’s inclusive vision ensures that all pupils and adults are supported to flourish academically, socially, and spiritually.

OCMAT’s commitment to community mirrors the biblical principle of being one body with many parts (1 Corinthians 12), where each person contributes to the life of the whole. This sense of interdependence shapes the way schools work together across the Trust — sharing expertise, supporting one another, and celebrating collective achievements.

At the heart of both visions is compassion — lived out through care, understanding, and practical support for others. The Trust encourages a culture where empathy and service guide actions.

Threaded throughout is a deep spirit of collaboration, seen as both a moral and spiritual imperative. Through shared learning, peer support, and partnership, the Trust and the school work together to build communities where every individual can thrive.

In this way, the vision of OCMAT does not simply align with each school’s Christian foundation — it amplifies and enables it, ensuring that faith, learning, and community are woven together in daily practice.

How does being part of OCMAT enhance the school's curriculum?

Being part of OCMAT significantly enriches each school’s curriculum through a strong culture of collaboration, professional development, and shared expertise, while still recognising and celebrating the individuality of each school and the communities they serve.

The Trust’s Standards Team provides tailored curriculum support through a range of channels — including bespoke school improvement work, subject leader networks, and moderation events. These ensure that staff are equipped to deliver a curriculum that is rigorous, inclusive, and reflective of OCMAT’s core values. A wide variety of CPD opportunities enables staff to deepen subject knowledge and develop pedagogical excellence, ensuring that every child can flourish.

Our Early Years teams (including our nurseries) work together to strengthen shared GLD outcomes and engage in moderation and professional dialogue. We provide plentiful opportunities for staff to visit and spend time in one another’s settings. As a Trust we host a Schools Readiness group which welcomes nurseries and EYFS teams from beyond the trust to support and strengthen expertise and information sharing.

Our annual trust conference further enhances professional growth, offering staff opportunities to reflect, collaborate, and focus on shared priorities. Themes have included development of assessment, curriculum focussed workshops, Inclusion focus and developing a sense of community.

Across OCMAT, there is a shared commitment to ensuring that the curriculum fosters spiritual development by creating opportunities for awe, wonder, and reflection. Schools are encouraged to nurture the mind, body, and soul, supporting pupils in exploring questions of meaning, purpose, and identity — regardless of faith background.

Through this partnership, OCMAT empowers its schools to deliver a curriculum that is academically ambitious, spiritually rich, and deeply rooted in compassion and community, enabling every learner to thrive.

How does OCMAT contribute to and enhance the school's worship and spiritual life?

OCMAT significantly enhances the worship and spiritual life of its schools by providing structure, support, and opportunities for growth that nurture faith and reflection across the whole community.

Collective worship across our church schools is rooted in Diocesan planning, ensuring theological integrity and consistency, while allowing flexibility for schools to adapt themes to reflect the needs, interests, and experiences of their children, as well as local and global events. This ensures worship remains meaningful, relevant, and responsive to the wider world.

Children are encouraged to plan and lead worship, developing confidence, leadership, and spiritual awareness. They are supported by adults where needed, creating inclusive and pupil-led worship experiences that empower young voices and deepen engagement.

Prayer is embedded within the daily rhythm of school life, offering time and space for gratitude, reflection, and connection.

OCMAT also invests in the spiritual and professional development of staff, enabling and encouraging new Headteachers of church schools to attend Rooted, and providing access to Diocesan education officers and peer-to-peer reviews. Staff and pupils are further supported through counselling services and opportunities for spiritual retreats, promoting wellbeing and reflection.

Through this holistic approach, OCMAT ensures that worship is not only a shared act of faith but a living expression of the Trust’s Christian vision—one that deepens spiritual understanding, strengthens community, and helps every member flourish.

How does OCMAT enhance inclusion and wellbeing for pupils and adults?

OCMAT provides support for inclusion and wellbeing at every level, ensuring that both pupils and adults are cared for holistically. A wide range of wellbeing initiatives are in place, including counselling services, supervision, and wellbeing guidance, alongside an active commitment to flexible working wherever possible. OCMAT recognises the importance of work–life balance and values giving staff the time to attend important milestones in their children’s lives.

Across the Trust, there are designated Mental Health Ambassadors and Menopause Ambassadors, promoting openness, understanding, and support for all. All staff who have been employed with us for over a year are offered Wellbeing Days, recognising their contribution and prioritising rest and renewal.

We are committed to supporting emotional wellbeing in our pupils through ELSA-trained colleagues, access to an Educational Psychologist, and a Speech and Language resource within the Trust (The Acorn Centre – situated across Minterne Junior School and The Oaks Infant School), enabling schools to draw on a wealth of professional expertise.

Strong connections beyond our own Trust also enhance inclusion and wellbeing, ensuring that we continue to learn from and collaborate with external partners to provide the best possible support for our school communities. We are a member of Whole Education and our Inclusion Executive Officer supports school on a national level with the development of their Inclusion strategies and practice.

How does the Trust make a positive impact on the school's culture?

Through consistent leadership support, professional development, and collaboration, OCMAT has nurtured a culture grounded in reflection, justice, and responsibility. OCMAT’s commitment to compassionate and values-driven leadership ensures that every school community flourishes within a climate of respect and shared purpose.

Initiatives such as “Our Lives News” strengthen connections across all schools, providing children with opportunities to celebrate achievements, share experiences, and feel part of a wider family of learning and faith.

The CEO’s active engagement, the school improvement support and offer, mentoring and coaching alongside encouragement for Headteachers to build relationships with other church schools beyond the Trust, enhance both professionalism and spiritual growth. This outward-facing approach reflects OCMAT’s belief in partnership and mutual support as pathways to improvement.

The Trust’s Leadership Principles underpin this culture, embodying OCMAT’s core values of compassion, collaboration, and community. Together, these principles ensure that the Trust’s vision is not only articulated but lived daily through the actions, attitudes, and relationships within each school.

How do school and Trust leaders ensure that the Religious Education curriculum is challenging, accurate, well-sequenced, well-balanced, relevant, and diverse?

Within OCMAT, Religious Education (RE) is taught through Understanding Christianity and the Kent agreed syllabus. By drawing on both, we ensure that pupils develop religious literacy, a secure understanding of Christian theology, and a respectful awareness of a range of world faiths and has a worldviews approach.

Understanding Christianity is structured around seven core Christian concepts, explored progressively as pupils move through the school. From the Foundation Stage onwards, children engage with these ideas through a wide variety of inspiring and creative activities, developing deeper theological understanding and the ability to make meaningful connections between belief, practice, and daily life. Pupils are encouraged to respond to ‘I wonder…’ questions, deepening curiosity and fostering independent thought.

Through this approach, the teaching of RE across OCMAT remains challenging, engaging, and inclusive, allowing pupils to explore profound questions of meaning and purpose while developing empathy, respect, and understanding for the beliefs of others.

How do school and trust leaders ensure that Religious Education is well-resourced, and that continuing professional development for staff has an impact on the effectiveness of the curriculum?

School and Trust leaders ensure that Religious Education remains well-resourced, relevant, and reflective of the needs of all pupils. Through this ongoing investment in professional development and high-quality resources, school and Trust leaders ensure that RE teaching remains engaging, inclusive, and impactful across all year groups.

Our Community Multi Academy Trust (OCMAT)