Parents have issued a measured response to a document published by the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT) last week in which chief executive Dan Morrow answered questions about the restructuring consultation and apologised for the anxiety it had caused.

Written on behalf of the DMAT Independent Parent Voice Facebook group, the letter thanks DMAT for the apology and the trust’s willingness to adapt the initial restructuring proposal in response to parents’ concerns but questions whether all queries have been answered satisfactorily.

In its statement, the DMAT Independent Parent Voice group has admitted to an ‘air of scepticism’ and has argued that the trust has neither taken responsibility for failings in its schools nor clarified how the restructure will benefit their children and how the new assistant SENDCOs (special educational needs and disabilities coordinators) will be trained effectively. Instead, parents have said that DMAT has blamed external factors, such as covid and the Government, for the failings and worry that the reduction in teaching assistants will only have a negative impact on the children’s education.

The group has also explained that it feels the current system for registering concerns with the trust is unsatisfactory and that this has led to a feeling of mistrust among parents, which it said will only remain unless there is better communication between trust leaders and parents.

It concludes: ‘We hope the trust stands by the words of Dan Morrow, and strives to find more ways of communicating with parents. As a group we are open to working with DMAT to forge new ways of cooperation and ensuring the schools in our communities can thrive and provide the best opportunities for our children and young people.’