A NEW education trust in the north-west, the Chester Diocesan Learning Trust (CDLT), hopes to “make a difference to children’s lives with Christ as [their] example”. It was launched on Wednesday after nearly two years of “collaborative development”, a diocesan statement said.

The deputy director of the diocesan board of education, Sue Noakes, is the CDLT’s inaugural chief executive officer. Andrew Warren, who recently retired as the Department for Education’s regional director for the West Midlands, chairs the CDLT’s board.

Mr Warren said that, over the past 18 months, he had enjoyed working closely with the group of schools, and was “really looking forward” to developing the academy trust further through the CDLT.

“Each school and leader brings immense strength to the trust, and being able to harness that strength for the good of all is such a privilege. Each school serves a unique community, but, at the heart of all, is the church foundation; so, as we celebrate the differences, we also come together as church schools to make a difference to children’s lives with Christ as our example,” he said.

Seven schools, in Cheshire West, Chester, and the Wirral, have joined this week. An eighth is set to follow in November, and a ninth is “preparing to begin its journey toward joining CDLT in the coming months”.

To create its “vision”, the Trust worked with head teachers, chairs of governors, and trustees. Based on 1 Corinthians 12.12, “the body is not made up of one part but of many,” its motto is: “Shaping better futures. One body; many parts”.

The CDLT’s logo is colourful jigsaw pieces surrounding a cross, and was inspired by an art day when “children creatively interpreted the vision”.

Chester diocese said that “collaboration and diversity are at the heart of CDLT, with each school maintaining its individuality while being united under a shared purpose.”