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• 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.