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MAT - Outcome of the Vote 16.07.19

17th July 2019

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

We are writing to inform you that the Round Hill governors have decided to decline the invitation for our school to join the White Hills Park Multi Academy Trust. 

 

All governors attended a meeting yesterday, Tuesday July 16, 2019, at which they were asked to vote on a resolution for Round Hill to convert to an academy, in order to join the trust.

 

In a secret ballot, held in line with the School Governors’ Regulations, the majority of governors voted ‘no’ to the resolution and as a result Round Hill will not proceed with this academisation process.

 

While we have decided to decline this invitation on this occasion, we would like to thank White Hills Park for the opportunity to join the trust and the way in which they have engaged with the process we have followed.

 

Executive Principal, Dr Paul Heery, and his staff have been respectful and constructive throughout and they have worked very hard in order to answer the many detailed questions we have asked of them.

 

Our connection with White Hills Park, where the majority of our pupils attend secondary school, remains strong. And we now want to build on this experience to explore how our schools can further develop their relationship to the benefit of all pupils.

 

In addition, we would like to thank parents and staff at Round Hill School, who have participated fully in the engagement process we have conducted.

 

Many parents devoted a considerable amount of time and energy for which we are grateful. Your input at events, through questionnaires and correspondence, has been extremely helpful. It has all been read and considered and used to inform our own extensive research and analysis.

 

Our focus now is on the future and we can assure you that the learning we have gained through this process, as a governing body, is valuable and will not be lost. It has highlighted some key issues for our school e.g. the importance of providing professional support to the head teacher at a time when the local authority does not have the capacity to fulfil that function; the value of greater collaboration with other schools to share ideas, best practice and resources; the need to support the continuing professional development of staff through access to learning networks and innovative ways to cover lessons.

 

We will consolidate all of the learning from this process in the autumn term and use it to shape the future work of the governing body.

In the meantime, we should all feel proud that our school has engaged wholeheartedly in thoroughly exploring the benefits and risks of a complex issue, while respecting each other’s point of view and retaining a strong, positive relationship with our valued partner, White Hills Park.

 

Yours sincerely

 

Adrian Nash

 

Head Teacher