Latest News

Letter for Parents/Carers - Move to One Site

Wed 06 Dec 2023

Adapting Our Schools to Secure their Future.

December 1st, 2023

From: The Co-Chairs, The Governing Body

Dear parent or carer

In 2021 the Governing Body embarked on a long-term strategy to remodel how our schools can deliver better educational and developmental opportunities for the children in the area, now and in the future. In February 2023, we announced the partnership with the Moorland Federation led by Naomi Philp, now our Executive Headteacher and in May, confirmed the appointment of Carys Barnett as our permanent Head of Schools, reporting to Mrs Philp. Many of you have met Carys since she started in September.

With an effective leadership team in place, with the continuing support of Somerset County and the Diocese of Bath & Wells, the next phase of this strategy will commence in the Spring Term 2024. Early next year, Dulverton Junior School and All Saints CofE Infant School will share the more modern infant school building that opened in 2000 and was designed to accommodate over 120 pupils. Whilst based primarily at the All Saints’ site, Junior School pupils will continue to have access to facilities at the old Junior School building, including the pool and the MUGA (multi-use games area). Catering staff will continue to prepare meals for pupils using the current catering facilities.

In the face of increasing financial pressure, the need to meet high educational standards and the welfare of the pupils foremost, the Governing Body has had to make difficult decisions. Given the number of pupils now attending the school and forecasts of future pupil numbers, this move is essential to secure good quality primary education in Dulverton. It will ensure the children receive the best care and opportunities for their education and development. Under one roof, it will enable the development of the teaching and learning support staff, as we look to raise the quality of education across the schools, given the priorities established after recent OFSTED inspections.

Dulverton’s extensive school sites and grounds were developed over the preceding decades when they supported a Middle School and far larger number of pupils. Today, the facilities and size of the grounds are no longer concordant with the number pupils in The Exmoor Federation. The priorities are to ensure the schools have a viable long-term future, and to this end we must make better use of the funding, people and resources, through a move to a single site.

If you have any immediate questions or concerns, we would encourage you to direct these to Mrs Barnett, by making an appointment, through her office administrator Chantel Herbert.

Discussions concerning the future of the Junior School building and grounds, which is the property of the local authority, are ongoing. The Governing Body has sought re-assurances that the local community in Dulverton and Exmoor, will be invited to participate in a consultation process as to what uses they might be put. However, the current plan includes handing responsibility for much of the site, back to Somerset County, by September 2024. Discussions continue with the local authority regarding the curtilage of the school sites, to retain access to the outdoor facilities of the pool and the MUGA area.

This move is part of a clear strategy to adapt Dulverton’s schools to the current and likely future needs of the local community, to see them led and staffed by committed, passionate professionals who share the Governing Body’s single focus, to ensure pupils have the best opportunities to achieve their potential while attending its schools.

Thank you.

Bill Gash – Co-Chair, the Governing Body, The Exmoor Federation.

Kate Northen – Co-Chair, the Governing Body, The Exmoor Federation.

Strike Action 7 July 2023

Thu 06 Jul 2023

30.06.2023

Dear parents/carers

I am writing to inform that the NEU have declared strike action again, which will take place on:  Wednesday 5 July and Friday 7 July – national strikes across England and Wales

As before, I’m getting in touch to give you as much notice as possible about our arrangements for these dates and that some members of our teaching team, who belong to the National Education Union (NEU), have decided to take industrial action and strike on one of these days. 

Wednesday 5 July: o All Saints Infant School – School will be open for all classes o Dulverton Junior School - School will be open for all classes o 

Friday 7 July: o All Saints Infant School – Owl Class and Kingfisher Class will be closed on this day.

Little Owls Nursery will be open as usual. o

Dulverton Junior School - Haddon Class will be closed. Burridge will be open as usual.

Please be aware that due to the nature of strike action I may receive updated information which means our plans may have to change at short notice, which could include further class closures – if this is the case I will of course let you know as soon as I can.

As before, Treehouse will be open as normal, as will transport arrangements. If your child is in one of the classes that is closed and your child is entitled to benefit related free school meals, (please note, this is not the same as universal free school meals for all children in Key Stage 1), then the school can provide a packed lunch which can be collected from 11.30 on that day. The office team will be calling you early next week to confirm if you would like to book a lunch.

I’m sorry that you will have to make alternative arrangements for your child, and that they will experience disruption to their education, the decision to take action by staff has not been taken lightly. I also understand that this situation may be frustrating, and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect.

There are online learning activities on our school website. We are working closely with our staff union representatives to keep up to date with the situation, and I will inform you as soon as possible if arrangements change further.

Yours Sincerely

Keith Mansell

Interim Executive Headteacher

Strike Action 27 April 2023 Letter

Fri 21 Apr 2023

21 April 2023

Dear Parents/Carers

I am writing to inform that the NEU have declared strike action again, which will take place on:

Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May – national strike across England and Wales

I’m getting in touch to give you as much notice as possible about our arrangements for these dates and that some members of our teaching team, who belong to the National Education Union (NEU), have decided to take industrial action and strike on one of these days.

Thursday 27 April:
- All Saints Infant school and Little Owls Nursery will be open as normal.

- Dulverton Junior School - Haddon Class will be closed on this day. Burridge Class will remain open as normal. Please be aware that due to the nature of strike action I may receive updated information which means our plans may have to change at short notice, even on the morning of the strike, which could include further class closures – if this is the case I will of course let you know as soon as I can.

Tuesday 2 May – I will write to you Monday with details.

As before, Treehouse will be open as normal, as will transport arrangements.

If your child is in one of the classes that is closed and your child is entitled to benefit related free school meals, (please note, this is not the same as universal free school meals for all children in Key Stage 1), then the school can provide a packed lunch which can be collected from 11.30 on that day.

The office team will be calling you early next week to confirm if you would like to book a lunch.

I’m sorry that you will have to make alternative arrangements for your child, and that they will experience disruption to their education, the decision to take action by staff has not been taken lightly. I also understand that this situation may be frustrating, and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect.

There are online learning activities on our school website.

We are working closely with our staff union representatives to keep up to date with the situation, and I will inform you as soon as possible if arrangements change further.

Yours sincerely

Keith Mansell

Interim Executive Headteacher

Strike Action 2 March 2023 Letter

Mon 27 Feb 2023

22 February 2023

Dear Parents/Carers I am writing to inform you that the NEU have declared strike action again, which will take place on:

• 2 March – regional strike in the South West, South East and London

I’m getting in touch to give you as much notice as possible about our arrangements for 2nd March as some members of our teaching team, who belong to the National Education Union (NEU), have decided to take industrial action and strike on this day.

Owl Class, Kingfisher Class and Haddon Class will be closed on this day. Little Owls Nursery and Burridge Class will remain open as normal. Treehouse will be open for Burridge Class as normal, as will transport arrangements.

If your child is in one of the classes that is closed and your child is entitled to benefit related free school meals, (please note, this is not the same as universal free school meals for all children in Reception and Key Stage 1), then the school can provide a packed lunch which can be collected from 11.30am on that day. The office team will be calling you early next week to confirm if you would like to book a lunch.

I’m sorry that you will have to make alternative arrangements for your child and that they will experience disruption to their education but the decision to take action by staff has not been taken lightly. I also understand that this situation may be frustrating and ask that all members of our school community continue to treat each other with respect.

There are online learning activities on our school website. We are working closely with our staff union representatives to keep up to date with the situation and I will inform you as soon as possible if arrangements change further.

We will continue to review our provision and communicate about our opening arrangements for the next proposed strike dates, 15th and 16th March, nearer the time.

Yours sincerely

Keith Mansell

Interim Executive Headteacher

The Exmoor Federation - Strategic Partnership with the Moorland Federation

Fri 10 Feb 2023

Dear Parent or Carer

We wrote to you in December, setting out the achievements of the past year and the Governing Body’s plans for the one to come. Last month, we also shared the conclusions of the graded OFSTED inspection that took place at the Dulverton Junior School last November. The school was graded ‘Requires Improvement’ but the report highlighted positive developments taking place at the school and that we are heading in the right direction. To address the wider challenges facing the schools and issues flagged by all three OFSTED inspections, the Governing Body, supported by Somerset Education and the Diocese of Bath & Wells, has been looking to explore partnerships with other educational organisations to enable our schools to deliver a better quality of education for your children and better value, given the budgetary constraints all maintained schools are operating within.

We are writing to confirm that, after careful deliberation, we have decided to partner with the Moorland Federation, which includes five schools on Exmoor (Cutcombe, Dunster, Exford, St. Dubricius and Timberscombe) and also supports one at Langford Budville. This partnership will operate to ensure our schools in Dulverton retain their individual character, but benefit from access to more resources, knowledge and skills available within the team that manages the Moorland Federation, led by the Executive Headteacher Ms Naomi Philp. Ms Philp will work alongside Mr Keith Mansell for the next two terms. A key point we want to address is the recruitment of a permanent appointee to lead the schools when Keith Mansell’s contract of five terms comes to an end this Summer. Consequently, we will recruit a Head of School to lead our schools and the Nursery, working to Ms Philp as Executive Head Teacher when they commence their appointment in September. An initial Service Level Agreement was approved by the Governing Body and signed by us as Co-Chairs and Frances Nicholson, Co-Chair for the Moorland Federation, last Thursday February 2nd 2023. Our shared goal is to see the impact of this new collaboration evident in our schools in the weeks ahead. Looking further ahead, we want to see pupils at our partner’s schools benefit from access to the facilities we are so fortunate to have here in Dulverton, and the opportunities we can provide them here, as they continue their education. This new agreement and the strategic partnership itself, with a new leadership structure, is designed to improve the quality of education provided, secure a long term, viable future for our schools in Dulverton and ensure these play a full role in the education of young people on Exmoor. In the next Half Term, we will be arranging an opportunity for you to meet with your schools’ leaders, the governing body and representatives for our partner, the Moorland Federation and we look forward to seeing you then.

Thank you

Kate Northen & Bill Gash – Co-Chairs, Governing Body, The Exmoor Federation.

Strike Action 1 February 2023 Letter

Fri 27 Jan 2023

27 January 2023

Dear Parents/Carers

You may be aware from media coverage that ballots have been carried out by a number of teaching trade unions to determine whether their members agree to take strike action. The NEU have declared strike action, which will take place on:

1 February – national strike across England and Wales
- 14 February – national strike across Wales
- 28 February – regional strike in the North, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber
- 1 March – regional strike in the West Midlands, East Midlands and East
2 March – regional strike in the South West, South East and London

If a pay deal has still not met by this time, the NEU will launch further strikes on:

15 March – national strike across England and Wales
16 March – national strike across England and Wales

The strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the Government over teachers’ pay.

I’m getting in touch to confirm that, at the moment, our schools will be open as usual on 1^st February. Please send your child to school as normal.

Please be aware that due to the nature of strike action I may receive updated information which means our plans may have to change next week, which could include class closures – if this is the case I will of course let you know as soon as I can.

We will continue to review our provision and communicate nearer the next strike date, 2^nd March for our area, to confirm our opening arrangements for that next planned date.

Yours sincerely

Keith Mansell

Interim Executive Headteacher

Warn and Inform Letter

Thu 10 Feb 2022

10 February 2022

Dear Parents/Carers

Advice to All Parents - Warn and Inform

We have been advised by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Burridge Class. We appreciate that you may find this concerning, so we are continuing to monitor the situation. We are working closely with UKHSA to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and minimise disruption to our students.

This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

What are we already doing?

Students who have tested positive are isolating. The children who are identified as contacts of the confirmed case will have guidance from NHS Test and Trace.

Those aged five and above will be advised to take daily LFD tests before attending school for a period of 7 days. Outbreak control measures are also in place within the setting and being kept under review.

If your child is well

The school/setting remains open. If your child remains well, they can continue to attend school as normal. We will keep this under review.

In addition to daily LFD testing for close contacts, we encourage household members aged 11 and over to continue with twice weekly LFD testing to help identify cases promptly.

If you think your child is a close contact but has not been contacted directly by NHS Test and Trace, then we would advise they undertake daily LFD tests for a period of 7 days. This advice applies to children aged 5 and over. Whilst daily testing for 7 days is your choice, it is strongly encouraged as it helps to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in your community. (LFD tests are available via community testing sites, local pharmacies or you can order online for home delivery.)

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19 or tests positive for COVID-19

If your child develops symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), they should get a PCR test (https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call 119) and remain at home at least until the result is known and they are fever free (without medication) for at least 24 hours.

If negative, the child can end self-isolation and return to school/nursery once well;
If positive, the child should isolate as a positive case (see below)

People who test positive for COVID-19 should self-isolate at home until they are well (48 hours fever free) and either:

10 full days have passed, or
They have produced two negative LFD tests on consecutive days, with the first taken no earlier than day 5.

Note: Lingering coughs and changes to smell/taste are not a sign of ongoing infectiousness, so children can return to school if they have ended their self-isolation period (see above).

If your child does not have symptoms, count the day they took the test as day 0. If they subsequently develop symptoms shortly after a positive LFD test, a further PCR test is not required and the isolation period will be based on the original positive LFD test.

You can seek advice on COVID-19 symptoms from the nhs.uk website. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

Instructions for people who live in the same household as someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or is symptomatic and awaiting a test result

NHS Test and Trace will contact you to check whether you are legally required to self-isolate. If you are not legally required to self-isolate, you will be provided with advice on testing, advised to take extra caution, and given guidance on preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Those who are clinically extremely vulnerable should be supported to minimise their contact with other people in the household during this period, regardless of whether others have symptoms or not.

You are not required to self-isolate if any of the following apply:

You are fully vaccinated
You are below the age of 18 years 6 months
You have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
You are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons

Fully vaccinated means that you have been vaccinated with an MHRA approved COVID-19 vaccine in the UK, and at least 14 days have passed since you received the recommended doses of that vaccine (note this is currently under review and may be updated to include a booster dose in due course).

In line with national guidance for households with Covid-19 infection, household and other close contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 should undertake daily LFD testing for a period of 7 days or for 10 days from their last contact with the positive case (whichever is first). This is recommended for all close contacts aged 5 and over who are not required to isolate. ( LFD tests are available via community testing sites, local pharmacies or you can order online for home delivery.)

Children aged under 5 who are close contacts are not required to isolate and do not need to take part in daily testing of close contacts. If a child under the age of 5 lives with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 they will be advised to avoid contact with those at higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19 and to take a one-off PCR test as soon as possible.

You are required to self-isolate if you’re aged over 18 years and 6 months and if any of the following apply:

You have received only one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
You have not received any dose of the COVID-19 vaccination
You are not otherwise exempt

Household members who need to self-isolate as close contacts should not go to work, school or public areas, and exercise should be taken within the home. You should ask friends or family if you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online. Please read the stay at home guidance which provides information on this.

Household members staying at home for 10 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community.

You could be fined if you do not self-isolate following a notification by NHS Test and Trace. You may be entitled to a one-off payment of £500 through the NHS Test and Trace Support Payment scheme if you are required to stay at home and self-isolate, or you are the parent or guardian of a child who has been told to self-isolate. To access the payment, eligible people will still be asked to take a confirmatory PCR if they receive a positive LFD result.

How to reduce spread of COVID-19 as a household contact who is not required to self-isolate

Even if you are vaccinated, you can still be infected with COVID-19 and pass it on to others. If you are identified as a contact of someone with COVID-19 but you are not required to self-isolate, you can help protect others by following the guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread.

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 in your community:

Test daily using LFDs
Limit close contact with other people outside your household, especially in enclosed spaces (when not in school/nursery)
Wear a face covering for those aged 11 and over in crowded, enclosed or poorly ventilates spaces and when you are in close contact with other people
Limit contact with anyone who is at higher risk of severe illness if infected with Covid-19
Follow the guidance on how to stay safe and help prevent the spread - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

You should follow this advice for at least 10 days.

If you are a health or social care worker or student undertaking a work placement who has been identified as a household contact and are exempt from self-isolation, there is additional guidance available that you should follow to reduce the risk of spread of COVID-19 in these settings.

If you develop symptoms at any time, even if these are mild, self-isolate immediately, arrange to have a COVID-19 PCR test and follow the guidance for people with COVID-19 symptoms.

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

How to stop coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with coronavirus (COVID-19):

Get vaccinated – everyone aged 12 and over can book COVID-19 vaccination appointments now
Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitiser regularly throughout the day
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
Put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards
Meet people outside and avoid crowded areas
Open doors and windows to let in fresh air if meeting people inside
Wear a face covering if aged 11 and over when it's hard to stay away from other people – particularly indoors or in crowded places
Participate in twice weekly LFD testing following national guidelines (recommended for 11 years and over). We encourage you to log your results here: https://www.gov.uk/log-test-site-covid19-results

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

Yours sincerely

Keith Mansell

Interim Executive Headteacher

Current Exmoor Federation Newsletter link

Thu 11 Nov 2021

Go to this Sway then click Design (top left)

Exmoor Federation Newsletter

Fri 09 Jul 2021

The Exmoor Federation Newsletter (current edition)

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me” John 10:14

Go to this Sway

Dulverton Junior School Awarded Primary Science Quality Mark

Mon 09 Sep 2019

Dulverton Junior School Awarded Primary Science Quality Mark

Schools Awarded Primary Science Quality Mark

Primary Science Quality Marks have been awarded to 200 infant, junior, primary, middle and special schools to celebrate a commitment to excellence in science teaching and learning. So far, since its national launch in 2010, over 3500 schools across the UK have achieved a prestigious Primary Science Quality Mark.

The Primary School Quality Mark programme ensures effective leadership of science, enables schools to work together to share good practice and is supported by professional development led by local experts. It encourages teacher autonomy and innovation while at the same time offering a clear framework for development in science subject leadership, teaching and learning. Schools that achieve PSQM demonstrate commitment and expertise in science teaching and leadership.

The Primary Science Quality Mark is led by the University of Hertfordshire, School of Education in collaboration with the Primary Science Teaching Trust.

Jane Turner, PSQM National Director said: “Gaining a Primary Science Quality Mark is a significant achievement for a school. The profile and quality of science teaching and learning in each awarded school is very high. Children are engaging with great science both in and outside the classroom, developing positive attitudes towards science as well as secure scientific understanding and skills. Science subject leaders, their colleagues, head teachers, children, parents and governors should be very proud.”

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