March 2017

To: All Richmond School & Sixth Form Parents and Carers

Dear Parents

Thank you to those parents/carers who were able to attend the Parent Forum Meetingearlier this week (13th March 2017). I certainly found the evening useful in helping us to consider Academy status for Richmond School. The points raised and questions asked were very much appreciated and are helping us in our search to see if there is a suitable Multi-Academy Trust for us to collaborate with and to be seen as an equal partner with. As I said at the meeting, to do nothing is not an option. Thiswould see other schools pass us by on their journey towards addressing the ‘standards’ agenda. Hence,these are interesting times for us all and we are committed to getting it right for every one of our children. To assist us in this work we are receiving guidance and support from North Yorkshire County Council’s Human Resources and Finance Departments as well as the Department for Education. We are also committed to providing a service that is cost effective.

I believe it is worth stating that the current climate in education is particularly challenging for all secondary schools. The funding situation has been widely covered in the media, as has teacher recruitment. It is a fact that across the country’s secondary schools:

  • 95% say support services have had to be cut back;
  • 68% say enrichment activities have had to be reduced;
  • 82% say class sizes have had to be increased;
  • 72% say courses at GCSE and Advanced level have had to be removed;
  • teacher recruitment is at an all-time low.

To address these concerns I do believe that schools supporting one another, and schools accessing capital grants and professional development grants that are available to Multi-Academy Trusts, along with Teaching School status, is something we must consider for the future. It is a fact that all of our local teaching schools are part of strong and successful Multi Academy Trusts.

The next Parent Forum meeting is scheduled for Thursday 25th May 2017 at 6.30 pmwhen we hope you will be able to attend. By then, we should be in a position togive more information. In the meantime, please click here to read our latest academisation literature. If you have questions or points to make regarding academisation, please do not hesitate to email:

Best wishes

Ian Robertson

Headteacher