The Diocese of Leicester (Educational Endowments) (Hathern Church of England Primary School Teacher’s House) Order 2026

Reallocated the sale proceeds of a former teacher's house in Hathern to support local religious education and diocesan school infrastructure.


This Order authorizes the reallocation of the endowment belonging to the former teacher's house at Hathern Church of England Primary School, following the sale of the property for £70,300.

It directs the division of these assets between a new Religious Education Fund for the Parish of Hathern and a School Fund for the wider Diocese of Leicester.

The Order appoints the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education and the local Minister and Churchwardens as trustees for the respective funds, mandating that the assets be used for religious education and the maintenance or improvement of Church of England schools.

Arguments For

  • The document states that the premises of the teacher's house at Hathern Church of England Primary School have ceased to be used for the purposes of a voluntary school, necessitating new provision for the endowment.

  • The order notes that the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education applied for the change, acting as the appropriate authority for the Church of England.

  • The Secretary of State asserts that the legal requirements for public notice under section 555 of the Education Act 1996 were met, and no representations or objections were received.

Arguments Against

  • Legal scholars have noted that the use of section 554 orders permanently redirects local assets into broader diocesan funds, which may reduce the direct resources available specifically to the original parish.

  • Parties interested in the original 1849 deed might argue that the consolidation of funds into the Leicester Diocesan Uniform Statutory Trusts Fund dilutes the specific intent of the original donor, Charles March Phillipps Esq.

  • The fixed 11/14ths and 3/14ths split is a statutory formula that may not account for the specific current educational needs of the Parish of Hathern compared to the wider Diocese.

Citation and commencement

  1. This Order may be cited as the Diocese of Leicester (Educational Endowments) (Hathern Church of England Primary School Teacher's House) Order 2026 and comes into force on the day after the day on which it is made ('the operative date').

Interpretation

  1. In this Order-

'the deed' means the deed dated 3 July 1849 and made between (1) Charles March Phillipps Esq. and (2) the Minister and Churchwardens of the Parish of Hathern;

'the Diocesan Board' means the Leicester Diocesan Board of Education;

'the endowment' means the endowment comprised in the deed and relating to the foundation;

'the foundation' means the educational foundation known as Hathern Church of England Primary School Teacher's House;

'trust assets' means the sum of £70,300 held on deposit account by the Diocesan Board representing the net proceeds of sale of the former teacher's house of the school, together with any income derived from those assets (whether before or after the operative date).

Division of foundation and trust assets

  1. -(1) The trust assets must be divided into two separate trust funds, namely-
  • (a) the Hathern Church of England Primary School Teacher's House Fund ('the School Fund') comprising eleven-fourteenths of the trust assets; and
  • (b) the Hathern Church of England Primary School Teacher's House Religious Education Fund ('the Religious Education Fund') comprising three-fourteenths of the trust assets.

(2) The apportionment of the trust assets required by virtue of this article must be made in every case, after payment of any expenses of administration in accordance with article 5(2).

Trustee and vesting

  1. -(1) The Diocesan Board is appointed to be the trustee of-
  • (a) the foundation;
  • (b) the trust assets; and
  • (c) the School Fund established by article 3(1)(a).

(2) The minister and churchwardens for the time being of the Parish of Hathern are hereby appointed to be the trustees of the Religious Education Fund established by article 3(1)(b).

(3) All funds belonging to or held in trust for the foundation immediately before the operative date must be transferred to the Diocesan Board and all acts necessary for that purpose must be done by persons holding such funds.

Administration of foundation

  1. -(1) After payment of any expenses of administration, the Diocesan Board must account for that proportion of the capital and income of the trust assets of the foundation which represents the Religious Education Fund, to the trustees of that fund.

(2) The trustees of the Religious Education Fund must apply the income, and may apply the capital, of that fund for educational purposes related to the Parish of Hathern in connection with the provision of religious education in accordance with the tenets of the Church of England by means of a Sunday School or otherwise.

(3) The Diocesan Board must hold the School Fund on the terms set out in the Schedule (being the uniform statutory trusts set out in Schedule 36 to the Education Act 1996)( 3 ).

Consolidation

  1. The School Fund must be consolidated with the fund known as the Leicester Diocesan Uniform Statutory Trusts Fund( 4 ) and that consolidated fund must be known as the Leicester Diocesan Uniform Statutory Trusts Fund.

Schedule

The Uniform Statutory Trusts

  1. In this Schedule-

'the area' means the Diocese of Leicester;

'relevant school' means a voluntary school, a foundation school, an academy school, an alternative provision academy, a city technology college or a city college for the technology of the arts at which religious education in accordance with the tenets of the Church of England is or is to be provided;

'relevant trust assets' means the School Fund.

  1. The trustee may, after payment of any expenses incurred in connection with the administration of the trust, apply the capital and income of the relevant trust assets for any of the following purposes-
  • (a) in or towards the purchase of a site for, or the erection, improvement or enlargement of, the premises of any relevant school in the area;
  • (b) for the maintenance of any relevant school in the area;
  • (c) in or towards the purchase of a site for, or the erection, improvement or enlargement of, the premises of a teacher's house for use in connection with any relevant school in the area; and
  • (d) for the maintenance of a teacher's house for use in connection with any relevant school in the area.
  1. The trustee may also, after payment of any expenses incurred in connection with the administration of the trust, apply the income of the relevant trust assets for any of the following purposes-
  • (a) in or towards the provision of advice, guidance and resources (including materials) in connection with any matter related to the management of, or education provided at, any relevant school in the area;
  • (b) the provision of services for the carrying out of any inspection of any relevant school in the area required by Part 1 of the Education Act 2005( 5 ); and
  • (c) to defray the cost of employing or engaging staff in connection with-
  • (i) the application of income of the relevant trust assets for either of the purposes referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) above, or
  • (ii) the application of capital or income of the relevant trust assets for any of the purposes referred to in paragraph 2 above.

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