THE chair of the Dartmoor Federation of Schools has been recognised in the New Year's honours list with an MBE.

Ian Courtney of North Tawton has been recognised for his work in education, in particular for his work with the federation.

Mr Courtney said: 'I was really surprised when I got the letter back in November telling me I would receive this honour. I had to keep it confidential, which proved very difficult. It's lovely really.

Mr Courtney is chair of governors for the federation, made up of Okehampton Primary, Bridestowe Primary, Boasley Cross Primary, Lydford Primary, Exbourne C of E Primary, and Okehampton College.

The union of the schools has been designed so that the area's small rural schools, which may struggle to make ends meet on their own, can pool together resources and knowledge for the benefit of schools in the area. It also aids the transition for pupils from primary to secondary education.

All the federation's primary schools were rated good in their latest Ofsted reports, and Okehampton College was rated outstanding.

Mr Courtney is also chair of the Dartmoor Co-operative Learning Trust, which is made up of the federated schools and North Tawton Primary, and was launched on September 12.

The co-operative school trust model enables those who are directly involved in the school, like parents and carers, staff and learners, to become engaged in its long-term strategic direction through membership of the trust.

It also allows others such as other members of learners' families — and indeed the wider local community — to become involved. It also allows the schools to work together more closely to share ideas, and make the transition of pupils changing from primary to secondary education smoother.

Mr Courtney said: 'I am very happy that the award recognises the hard work of the Dartmoor Federation, which is a real team effort.

'Our 20 governors, staff and pupils all work really hard to make our schools as good as possible, and that is something that should be celebrated.

'Things with the Dartmoor Federation and co-operative trust are going really well, which we are all delighted with.

'We wanted a few years to bed it in. We thought if we got it right, no-one would notice for a while before the benefits of the federation are noticed, which I think they are now.

'All the schools are doing well in their Ofsted report, and Bridestowe is in the top 10% nationally which is wonderful, but the "value added" scores are really something to be proud of.

'These measure the progress students make between different stages of education. It shows what you've given each individual pupil and how they've progressed.

'The national average is a score of 1,000. Okehampton College's score for 16 year olds in 1,041, which puts the college in the top for percent in the country. That is an awesome achievement.

'The rating for our "disadvantaged students" — which is a term I hate —is 1,022, well above the national average too.

'That is a marker of how well all our schools are doing. The federation is working well, and we will continue to look at any issues that arise and do our best to focus the federation's resources to sort them out as we go.'

Daryll Chapman, principal of Okehampton College, said he was delighted that Mr Courtney's hard work and dedication had been recognised.

He said: 'Ian is well known in the community for all his hard work and dedication to education in the Okehampton area for many years.

'He has been a governor for 15 years, which is a considerable amount of time.

'He has been instrumental in the success of bringing the Dartmoor Federation together and launching the co-operative learning trust.

'His commitment to an unpaid position has been immense, and his passion for the education of our children and helping make our small schools succeed is very evident.

'The Dartmoor Federation has been helped to succeed thanks to his vision.'

Mr Courtney is a specialised relationship manager for NatWest, looking after and working with stressed businesses in Devon and Cornwall.

He is a committed Rotarian, keen walker, cyclist and motorcyclist, and likes to spend as much time as is left relaxing in Brittany.

He was also elected chair of the National Governors' Association's board of trustees on December 4, 2014.