Braunton Learning Co-Operative Trust

At the start of the 2019/20 academic year we were delighted to formally join the Braunton Learning Co-Operative Trust.  The trust comprises six local schools:  Caen Primary School, Kingsacre Primary, Southmead Primary and Braunton Academy (all based in Braunton), Marwood Primary School and ourselves.  The schools are geographically close and in the majority of cases pupils from the primary schools go on to attend Braunton Academy when they move on to secondary education.

We are delighted about the opportunities the Trust collaboration brings to work more closely with these schools on joint ventures for pupils and staff within our school communities and the wider locality.  We will be launching the work formally in the summer term with a joint music and performance venture involving pupils from all schools.   Staff in all schools have already collaborated on joint training including moderation work and well being and mindfulness training to support staff in schools.  A clear plan of activities for the coming academic year has been approved by the Trust Board and Heads to help embed the Trust and the relationships within.

Georgeham will be represented on the Trust Board by Mr Thomas and Ali Smith (as Chair of Governors).  We, together with all the governors and the staff, are excited about the opportunities this will bring for joint activities for pupils and enhanced support structures for staff, subject coordinators and heads.

A copy of the Determination Document with full results from the consultation process is available for you to read below, together with a copy of the letter that has been sent to all parents and stakeholders confirming the Trust launch.

Braunton Determination Report 2019.  

Final Letter confirming Trust

Background to the formation of the Trust.

As a school we have historically been part of what is called the Braunton Learning Community comprising Braunton Academy, the three Primaries in Braunton (Caen, Kingsacre and Southmead), Marwood Primary and ourselves.  Government funding for Learning Communities ceased a number of years ago but the six schools have continued to work together informally through the sharing of ideas, moderation of work and events such as joint sporting activities.  We believe that pupils and our staff have derived benefit from activities that engage those schools that are part of our wider geographic community and which share the common feature of the Academy as the secondary school which most pupils go on to attend.

Collaborating with other schools is extremely important for any school but especially a small rural Primary like ours. We also collaborate informally with a number of other small Primaries, all part of what is called the Countryside and Coastal Schools Network (which includes Kingsacre and Marwood amongst others) and we are part of the North Devon Schools Teaching Alliance, with whom we occasionally work to support trainee teachers in our school.

Whilst all these collaborations have been beneficial, for some time now the Governors have felt we should explore more formal arrangements in order to strengthen and deepen these relationships. We have explored many options, including joining a Multi Academy Trust, of which there are an increasing number in North Devon (Tarka Learning Partnership, Ventrus and Alumnus to name a few). However the government impetus for all schools to academise has declined and whilst there may be some benefits, it is a not a model we are comfortable with for our school at the present time.  Late last year at a workshop for all the Braunton schools a proposal came forward for a different model of formal collaboration called a Co-operative Education Trust. This has struck a chord, and this is what we are now consulting on.

What Does A Cooperative Trust Collaboration Look Like for Georgeham School?

A fuller explanation of the technicalities of a Co-operative Trust, which is a legal entity with charitable status, can be found in the accompanying material, but in effect it is a formal commitment by each of the participating schools to work together to create the best possible educational opportunities for all our children. In some ways it is what we have already been doing but in a more formal, committed and focussed way. It is a democratic and mutually supportive structure.

We are doing this because the governors and school believe that over time it will strengthen and enhance the capacity of our school and lead to better outcomes for our children and specifically because we believe that working with the schools closest to our own, including the secondary school that most of our pupils go on to attend, will be beneficial for our children in the wider community that they live in. That is our over-riding aim.

Whilst we believe that this will lead to changes in what we can offer as a school and improved outcomes, much will stay the same:

– Our staffing with Mr Thomas as Head Teacher and the terms and conditions of our staff
– Our ethos, vision and values which drive everything we do at the school: although we will also commit to the co-operative values which are set out in the consultation material (and which are great values!)
– Our funding although we hope that by working together we can obtain better value from the money we do receive
– The structure, responsibilities and functions of our Governing Board.
– Our status as a Church of England Foundation school maintained by the local Authority.

How Does the Consultation Process Work?

In forming the Co-op, four of the schools – Caen, Kingsacre, Southmead and Marwood – are having to consult also on changing their status from “Community” to “Foundation”. We (and the Academy) do not as we are already foundation schools so this part of the consultation is not relevant. Our different status also means that we would join as “Partner Schools” but this has no practical significance in regards our role or status within the co-operative.

The consultation ends on 27th June and on 4th July each of the Governing Boards of the converting schools will meet concurrently to reflect on the consultation and decide whether or not to proceed. We will attend the same day and in the light of the views we have received, and the decisions of each of the other schools, also make the decision as to whether or not to proceed to join the co-op as a Partner School. If the decision is taken to proceed then the Trust will come in to being on 1st September.

Where Can I Find Out More?

Links to the consultation papers are provided below.

Consultation Summary letter

Braunton Learning Co-operative Proposal Consultation Information Pack

We would encourage you to read the consultation material, ask questions and respond. You are invited to any of the parents’ evenings at each of the converting schools, or the public meeting at Southmead on the 23 May, which will cover both the process of conversion and forming the co-operative.

You can also come along to our parent consultation meetings on Tuesday 11th June.  We are holding two meetings – at 2.45pm and 6pm. 

Click here for the online consultation response form

We would encourage parents to attend one of these meetings, even those whose children will be moving onto Braunton Academy next year as the Academy are very much part of this proposal.