The Kimberley School Newsletter April 2015

News@Kimberley Founded 1925 April 2015 Issue 43# A record of the life of the school, its duties and pleasure, its work and play; a chronicle of endeavour and achievement Head’s Lines School seeks worthy partners in bid to join a Multi-Academy Trust At the time we became an academy, it was clear that the overwhelming majority of Nottinghamshire schools were going to do the same thing. The Local Authority were scaling back their resources and our Governors wanted to ensure a secure future for this school. We have been steadfast in the commitments made at that time and also derived benefit from academy status. As promised, we have not used our autonomy to erode conditions of service, distance ourselves from the Leisure Centre or change the holiday pattern. However, the political and educational landscapes are constantly shifting and it is clear the Department for Education want to see all stand-alone academies like ours joining MultiAcademy Trusts. My duty is to ensure the school remains strong and well situated to deliver the best service possible for this community. Governors have considered the potential benefits of joining a group of academies and they resolved to do so at their recent Full Governing Body meeting. The next step for them is to consider which trust to join; one that can offer us all the benefits of partnership within a like-minded structure, whilst also retaining Newdigate Street • the much prized autonomy to continue to develop within our own community and influence the development of any Trust we might join. There are many groups established or emerging and many of these do not share our ethos and would not be considered as suitable partners. However, others offer us exciting possibilities to enhance the work we do without losing any of the features we have become well known for. This decision will be taken at their meeting on 13th May. Governors are opening a consultation period from now until 1st May and would welcome your views on what we should be looking to gain from this new phase in our evolution and what you would consider to be unwelcome in any new partnership. You can contribute to the consultation by writing to the school (envelopes marked “consultation for the attention of the Chair of Governors” or by email to [email protected] with “consultation” in the subject line. The Governors and I look forward to hearing from you. Kimberley • Nottingham • NG16 2NJ www.kimberleyschool.co.uk Chris Teal - Headteacher • 0115 938 7000