Letter to Lower School Heads

This letter has been sent to Lower School Heads

Dear Mr / Mrs …,

Re: Bedfordshire School Structure Review

We write to thank you for agreeing to publicise our first public meeting, held at Ashton Middle School on Wednesday 1^st March.  The meeting was a resounding success and was attended by approximately 200 parents.

At this meeting, it became apparent that many parents in Dunstable, and particularly those of Lower and Upper School Children, are totally oblivious of the possible changes to Bedfordshire’s schools proposed by Bedfordshire County Council. The closing date for public consultation is the 4^th April and time is therefore very short. It is now the intention of the Dunstable Parent Action Team (DPAT) to raise public awareness.  We once again are asking for your support in achieving this objective.  We would be very grateful if you could please help us in four ways.

1.      Please distribute copies of the enclosed information leaflet (which is double sided).  The first side of the leaflet provides a list of useful names and addresses.  Please encourage every parent to email their comments about the review to ‘Four S’ (www.fours.co.uk/bedfordshire) and to write to our County Councillors and to our MP.  It is only through the weight of letters received from constituents that we can hope to make the County Council listen to our views. 

2.      The second side of the leaflet covers questions parents should be asking the County Council.  These points can be used by parents when writing to councillors or MPs and when attending the consultation evening.

3.      We ask that you encourage all parents to return the ‘Organising for Excellence Consultation Questionnaire’ which should have been distributed by the County Council to all schools.  If your school has not received copies of this questionnaire (a colour copied A4 page, folded into 3), please contact Joan Wheeler or John Goldsmith on 01234 228822. 

4.      Finally, please make all parents are aware of the consultation meeting which will be held at Queensbury Upper School on Thursday 23^rd March from 7pm-9pm.  This meeting has been arranged by ‘Four S’ as the only consultation evening with parents in the Dunstable area.  It is vital that as many parents (and teachers) attend this meeting as possible so that their views may be aired and recorded.

Yours sincerely,

Emma Rowlands and Mandy Atkins

(Parents of Dunstable school children).