As the end of the academic term and year approaches, it is worth acknowledging that this year has been a year of change. 

Some of the key changes or events have been:

• Welcoming Tom Inman as the new Head Teacher in September ‘23.
• We were inspected by OFSTED after in February.
• Our MAT work has continued and taken a change in direction from ESW to Ted Wragg Trust and we are now in consultations with both staff and parents.

We understand change comes with challenges; therefore, we would like to share our appreciation and acknowledgement of all the hard work from every member of staff; both teaching and non-teaching along with the ongoing support from parents and carers and the wider community.

Governor Activities

The role of the governing board probably seems quite opaque to most people.  To provide some context of what we do, here are just a few of the activities that the board has engaged in over the course of the last twelve months:

• Interview and appointment of new Head Teacher and other senior roles.
• Supporting the regular committee meetings around Curriculum, Finance, Audit and Risk, Human Resources, Pay and Admissions.
• Sitting on Permanent Exclusions (PEX) panels and Stage 5 hearings.
• Regular subject link meetings around topics such as Safeguarding, SEND, Behaviour, all Key Stages, along with key subjects (Maths, English etc).
• OFSTED preparation and interview.
• MAT Due diligence.

OFSTED

We were finally inspected by Ofsted in early February and you can read Mr Inman’s letter from April for more details on the inspection.  I would like to recognise the support we had through this inspection from both the staff, students, governors, parents and carers, and the community and to thank them for their ongoing support as we continue our journey. I would also acknowledge the courteous, professional and fair way in which OFSTED conducted the inspection.

Multi-Academy Update

As you will have seen from the various updates sent out to Parents and Carers over the last couple of years, the intent has been to join a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) as it is our view that we will best be able to serve our students and the Exmouth community through being part of a ‘group’ of schools; the vast majority of secondary schools are now part of a ‘MAT’.

Our initial intention of joining Education South West (ESW) is no longer deemed the best option for the college as the Department for Education felt that ESW currently don’t have the capacity to incorporate a school the size of Exmouth.  Knowing this could be a possibility, we have also carried out a detailed due diligence process on two other MATs; the Ted Wragg Trust (based mainly in Exeter) and the WestCountry Schools Trust (based mainly in Plymouth) involving staff and governors from the college. 

Following this, the board made the decision to request to join the Ted Wragg Trust MAT.  More background on this is available in Mr Inman’s most recent update that can be found here.

I would like to outline the key reasons for selecting the Ted Wragg Trust (TWT) are:

1. Geographical proximity – Being close to the TWT schools is important to make sharing of resources and knowledge quicker and more effective.
2. Values – There is close alignment between the ECC and TWT values, and we saw that these values were demonstrated throughout our interactions with the Trust during our due diligence.
3. Long term view – We value the strategic view that the Trust have, in particular tackling the wider challenges that we face in education and those that especially affect the most disadvantaged.
4. Academic performance – There is a strong track record of exam results.
5. Capacity - There is capacity to augment the staff at ECC to provide more support to help drive the changes we need to make more quickly than we could on our own.
6. Staff Development – The trust is focused on professional development of staff, which not only will benefit the ECC staff, but also the students.

We have already started a full consultation period with the community, with several meetings for both parents/carers and staff having already taken place.  Members of the governing board have also attended these and will also be at the future sessions.  We received some very good questions from those that have already attended these sessions and very much welcome this.   More sessions are scheduled following half-term and I would very much encourage parents and carers to book onto one and take full advantage of the consultation period so that we can hear your views.

The final decision is subject to the outcomes of this consultation and approval from the Department for Education. If granted, it is likely that we would formally become a member of the Ted Wragg Trust in the early part of 2025.

New Governors

There have been some changes in the governing team since the last update.  Laura Woodward-Drake, Elizabeth Dymond and Lucy Meadowcroft all resigned their roles due to increased work or family commitments.   I’d like to extend my thanks to them all for their support and service to the college in their role as governors.  However, I am very pleased to welcome Nigel Fletcher, Sarah Pickering and Amber White to the team as new governors.

And Finally …..

As we start back after half-term, I would just like to take the opportunity to wish all the year 11 and 13 students taking their exams the very best for their results and for their next step – whatever that may be.

Jason Hill

Chair of Governors

June 2024.