Celebration and Care

Children, staff and governors from three Weymouth primary schools converged on the seafront to celebrate their joining together as part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust (DSAT).

Beechcroft St. Paul’s, St Andrew’s and St John’s Primary Schools joined the Trust, made up of thirteen academies, over the summer. DSAT has established the Weymouth Bay Hub in collaboration with the three schools. 

In celebration of the event, Chief Executive of DSAT, Mark Lacey, joined pupils, staff, governors and parents to lead an event in each school.

He presented each new academy with a DSAT Bear, a symbol of the care and friendship the schools will experience as part of the Trust, and spoke with the children about what it means to belong to a wider family of schools.

In return, the children, their headteachers and local clergy shared the wonderful things about their schools and their anticipation on joining the Trust. Prayers of blessing were offered by the clergy. 

Children in each of the schools had created paper chains with messages written on each link. A group of children from each school carried the chains to the clock tower on the seafront where they met each other, exchanged paper chains and took celebratory photographs. 

Mark Lacey, Chief Executive of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, said, “It was a wonderful day and sets us up brilliantly for collaborative working in the years ahead. We already have a range of activities planned locally and with our other schools as well.

“Everyone in the schools has been so engaging, and we can’t wait to see what these schools can achieve together for the good of the children in Weymouth.  We have lots to do, as always in our ever changing educational landscape, but we are all committed to working as hard as we can to make a real difference.”