Small Schools With Big Expectation.
They are miles apart - but have much in common
Lydford Primary School and Black Torrington Church of England Primary are delighted to be part of The Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT), a trust consisting of three secondary and 13 primary schools. Both schools are also proud members of The Dartmoor Teaching School Alliance (DTSA), one of the largest teaching school alliances in the South West.
Situated at opposite ends of the trust’s geographical area, Lydford Primary and Black Torrington Church of England Primary are small schools with big expectations, committed to collaborating across the larger group of schools. The DMAT mission statement runs through all the rural primaries - to provide the highest possible quality of education for all local children, in order to ensure pupils form all backgrounds are able to succeed. Our schools engage in Trust-wide staff training and development as well as sharing resources and ideas for improving teaching and learning. The children at both schools benefit hugely from this co-operative work, particularly as we prepare our older pupils for their transition to Okehampton and Holsworthy Community College.
Lydford Primary is a small, rural school, nestled in the heart of the village on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. Children receive high quality teaching and learning tailored to their individual needs by staff who truly care about their welfare, safety, progress and achievement. The school is frequently praised for its friendly, welcoming, family atmosphere. The school has the unique privilege to have a partnership with Lydford Gorge as part of The National Trust’s Guardianship Scheme. This includes monthly trips to the gorge by Class 2 and regular trips by Class 1 to enrich their learning. School staff and stewards at the gorge work together to plan a range of activities for the children; including conservation work, art activities and geography fieldwork. When children move on from Lydford Primary School, they are often complimented on their independence, resilience and fantastic attitude to learning as a direct impact of this local collaboration.
At Lydford, every child is able to access enriching experiences – recently we had an inspiring trip to the Eden Project based on the rainforest and Fairtrade and a cultural visit from Daya, offering immersion in Islam culture. Enrichment helps develop pupils’ character, resilience and motivation. Sporting events and outdoor learning can have a positive impact on attainment. Our on-site forest school sessions are proving to do just this. The area is currently under development and the children have a say in how their space will take shape, investing in their ideas and allowing them to be masters of their own space.
Our close relationship with other DMAT primaries ensures collaboration to provide what might otherwise be unachievable. Residential trips, competitive sporting events and festivals, after school clubs, school council conferences are but a few of the opportunities open to our pupils.
Black Torrington Church of England Primary School is a small, village school dating back to 1894. We seek to help every child to achieve their full potential and to foster a respect for other people, their cultures and beliefs. Our philosophy is underpinned by our school motto, thought up by one of the children - ‘A small school with a big heart’ - as well as Christian values of co-operation, respect, achievement, friendship and trust.
At Black Torrington we pride ourselves on our family feel and sense of community. We have close links with the church and enjoy weekly assemblies from the wonderful church volunteers as well as services in St Mary’s to mark important festivals throughout the year.
We work hard to ensure the children benefit from a range of curriculum enrichment and exciting opportunities to bring learning alive and give the children experiences they can remember. These experiences span the whole curriculum, for example, Year 6 writing days where all Year 6 children from our Holsworthy Cluster including Bradford and Bridgerule come together for themed writing days, specialist PE and dance lessons, science days and ‘Wild Tribe’ learning.
We have a dedicated and supportive PTFA group who regularly fundraise and then provide fantastic opportunities for classes or all of the school! We have been able to take all of the children to Clip and Climb in Exeter, pay for a multi-cultural day and more recently Class 1 spent the whole day having a Forest School Experience in nearby Cookworthy Forest.
Since joining the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust, we have been able to benefit from the support and opportunities that come with being part of a larger organisation while retaining our individual school identity. The children have been able to experience the fantastic sporting facilities at Tavistock College and our school council members have been invited to participate in MAT school council events, learning about Fairtrade and single use plastics. Our teachers have access to and are benefiting from a range of professional development opportunities and training including maths mastery, mental health and safeguarding.
As we look towards the future we are exciting about how the collaboration, support and opportunities will continue to grow and develop for our small schools within The Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust. For more information please visit our websites www.dartmoormat.org.uk/,www.lydford-primary.co.uk/, www.blacktorrington.devon.sch.uk
Deirdre Petersen, Acting Head of School, Lydford
Lisa Paton, Executive Headteacher, Black Torrington