During this academic year, one of the most significant strategic activities the Governing Board has been engaged in has been the transition of Exmouth Community College from a single academy trust into the Ted Wragg Multi-Academy Trust. This process has required a great deal of time and focus, and I am pleased to confirm, as Mr. Inman has recently communicated, that the transition was successfully completed on 1st March 2025. From this date, Exmouth Community College officially became part of the Ted Wragg Trust and is now the largest school within the Trust.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all the Governing Board and Members, along with our staff, parents, and carers, for their support throughout this transition. It has been a time-intensive but crucial piece of work that will bring long-term benefits to the College and its students. While our official joining date was March 1st, we have been working closely with the Trust over the past 12 months, benefitting from their expertise and support. This has included augmenting school roles with staff from the Trust and aligning our governance functions with their structures from September last year. This has also given us a lengthy trial-period with them prior to the final commitment to join.

Changes to Governance

As we move forward, Exmouth Community College will continue to have a Local Governing Board (LGB), which will remain focused on challenging and supporting school leadership while representing the parents/carers and the wider Exmouth community. However, the role of governance will evolve slightly in line with our new Trust structure.

A key change is that our Board will no longer provide oversight of back office functions areas such as HR, Legal, Finance, Estates, and Catering, as these responsibilities will now sit centrally with the Ted Wragg Trust. Instead, our core areas of focus as a Local Governing Board will be:

· Academic Performance

· Safeguarding

· Attendance

· SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities)

· Careers & Destinations

· Support for Disadvantaged Students

These are the areas where we will continue to provide scrutiny, support, and challenge to ensure the best possible outcomes for our students.

Board Membership Updates

As part of this transition, our Governing Board has naturally reduced in size. Over the past year, we have seen some changes in membership, including the resignations of Karen Knight and Rebecca Heywood, both of whom have made valuable contributions to the College. Our Governance Professional, Natalie Mann, also left at the very beginning of September to pursue a career out of education, and I would extend my sincere thanks to her for all her support and work over the last few years

At the same time, we are pleased to welcome Margaret Turgoose and Darren Evans as new Governors, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise to the Board. As always, our overarching role remains to support, challenge, and champion the College and its community. We are committed to ensuring that Exmouth Community College continues to thrive within the Ted Wragg Trust, while maintaining its strong identity and serving the needs of our students and families.

Thank you for your continued support.

Jason Hill 

Chair of Governors

March 2025