Dear parents and carers,

Further to my letter dated 23rd August 2018, please note that I met with the Save Winterton School Committee on 27th August 2018, where they identified a few issues that some parents and carers appeared to misunderstand. This letter is intended to address the issues raised by the committee.

· I can confirm that all staff will be returning to our school in September; there will therefore be the same staffing that your children are familiar with.

· I can confirm that we will be operating the same three classes and nursery provision as we did during the last school year.

· I can confirm that the Rockpool before and after school club will continue to operate in September as previously.

· The school will be flexible with uniform for those of you who may have disposed of your children’s Winterton uniform. The only requirement is that pupils attend in school uniform-type clothing, with colours not being important. A normal jumper will suffice in the short term.

To assist you in our decision making process I have also included several positive benefits that the Consortium Multi Academy Trust should bring to our school if we reach the minimum number of 40 pupils and they confirm their in-principle agreement for our school to join their trust. Though nowhere near an exhaustive list, these benefits include:

· Primary Expertise: The majority of the trust’s central team have come from primary school, including the CEO, two head teachers, three school business managers and a large number of other staff from estates management to class teaching. This is a very large resource base upon which Winterton can draw.

· Small School Experience: The trust is primarily (although not exclusively) a small schools trust with currently nine schools with rolls ranging from 35 to 400. The CEO is a former executive head teacher of two small primaries and is acutely aware of the challenges faced by small schools. The majority of the trust central team and staff have come from small schools.

· School Improvement: The trust is structured to provide continuous improvement. The strong central team visit, support and challenge schools on a regular basis with several visits each week.

· Curriculum: Quality first teaching supports the development of core subjects, but the trust seeks to provide an offer beyond what they may expect in a small primary.

· SEND and Pastoral Support: The trust has a full time head of service for welfare, inclusion, safeguarding and attendance and a trust senior SENDCo.

· Specialisms: The trust has its own PE and outdoor learning team.

Further information will be provided by the trust’s principal and chief executive officer (Mr Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne) when he meets you at our school on Tuesday 18th September at 6pm. You are, of course, able to find out more about the trust by visiting the website at https://consortiumacademv.co.uUsuffolUprimary/consortium-mat

I hope that this clarification will help you decide to bring your children back to our school on 6th September 2018.

Yours sincerely,

John Organ

Chairman Winterton Interim Executive Board.

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