School recruiting for head teacher after sudden closure

A school is recruiting for a new head teacher after it closed suddenly due to "unforeseen" senior staff absences.

Parents at Danesfield Middle School in Williton, Somerset, were told on Monday evening the school would not be reopening until 8 July.

One father told BBC News he was worried about the school's situation and said finding childcare for the rest of the week was "a strain" on his business.

Beacon Education, the trust which runs the school, has now told parents and carers it is recruiting for a new head teacher and apologised for the strain placed on childcare arrangements.

The trust said in a letter it was working on resolving the staffing situation "to bring long-term stability to the school".

Sam, who runs a business with his wife, has two children at Danesfield Middle School - and has had to make alternative arrangements at short notice to get them looked after.

He said: "It was a bit of a shock to start with... closing for an entire week just puts a worry in the back of my head."

"We've had to sort out childcare because me and my partner were both meant to be working, but because the children were off and it was so last minute, there's only been one of us in today, so it's been a strain on the business and at home," he added.

Beacon Education was previously told by the government to engage in merger talks with the Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust (BWMAT), after "a judgement of serious weaknesses" in its capacity to operate.

BWMAT will start running the school with Beacon Education in September.

When approached by BBC News, Ofsted said it had not visited the school since June 2023 and the closure was not prompted by them.

In the latest message to parents, seen by BBC News, Beacon Education said: "We are working closely with our new partners at BWMAT to resolve the immediate staffing challenges we face and to bring long-term stability to the school.

“A new temporary management team is currently going through the necessary pre-employment checks and, in the meantime, we are continuing to advertise for a new head, for which we have already had some encouragingly strong applications.

“We would like to acknowledge all the messages the school has received - some expressing support, for which we are very grateful, but many expressing understandable concern and frustration.

"We fully appreciate the challenge of arranging childcare at short notice and are deeply sorry for putting this added pressure on parents and carers."

BBC News understands the Department of Education has met with both Beacon Education and BWMAT for an update on the situation in Williton.

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.