CAPTION: Sue Lockwood worked as a teacher and headteacher in Devon before joining the Diocese of Exeter Education Team
New Director of Education Appointed to Serve Devon’s Church of England Schools
Sue Lockwood has been appointed as the new Education Director for the Diocese of Exeter following a rigorous interview process.
Sue has been acting-up in the position for over a year following the retirement of the previous director in early 2020.
Her role involves leading the team which provides training and support for Devon’s 134 Church of England primary and secondary schools.
Sue said: “I was delighted to get the job and chuffed to bits that Bishop Robert [and the other members of the interview panel] thought that I was the right person to make a difference to the mission of the diocese and in the lives of the children and young people in our schools.
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“One of the key things we have done over the last year is to refresh and renew our vision to nurture, nourish and flourish and that has gained real traction with our schools.”
Sue said one of the key aims of her team was to connect schools more into the work of the diocese and its churches.
The Venerable Douglas Dettmer, Chair of the Exeter Diocesan Board of Education, said: “I am delighted that Sue Lockwood has been appointed Diocesan Director of Education, following national advertisement and a robust, competitive selection process.
“It has been a privilege to work closely with Sue in her capacity as our Deputy Director and to witness first-hand her professionalism, strategic leadership, and strong commitment to children and young people and to the wider mission of the Church of England in Devon. We are blessed in her continuing service to education in this diocese and to our network of mission communities.’
Sue moved to Devon in 1996 to do teacher training at Rolle College in Exmouth and stayed in the area as a community primary school teacher.
She said she “loved teaching” and became a head teacher “almost by accident” at a Church of England primary school in Exmouth.
She stayed there for a decade and wasn’t looking to move, but says she “felt called to come and work for the diocese”
“I saw the role and it interested me for the wider impact I could have… it was an exciting opportunity.”
“My faith has grown hugely during my time here at the diocese. When I was a head teacher I would probably have been described as being “on the fringe” when it came to Christian faith.
Sue says church schools give children the chance to encounter Jesus and make their own decisions about faith
Sue says she still feels like she is very much “on a faith journey”.
Going forward, she says she would like to do more to facilitate churches and schools working together in “intentional ways that are relevant to their context and communities.”
She says there is still a place for church schools in education: “Lots of people say what is the difference between a church school and a community school?
“The added extra in church schools is that you really are able to give your children and young people that opportunity to understand Christian practice and give them that life-changing opportunity to have an encounter with Jesus Christ.
“They can make their own decisions based on their own feelings of spirituality, their sense of the divine.
“They can either take that pathway to faith if they choose to, while they are at school, or they can draw on it in later life.”
Sue said churches that wanted to support their local schools better could do so by getting in touch and letting them know “they are there”.
“It is not about growing new disciples,” she said, “It is about showing the church in action and serving the people of Devon with joy.”
