South Dartmoor Community College

Putting all politics aside, I was fortunate to meet Kevin Dyke, South Dartmoor Community College’s Interim School Principal, recently.  I thought as our only secondary school in the catchment area, readers of The Cottage might appreciate finding out more about his plans:

What do you think is special about our local secondary school, South Dartmoor Community College?

Kevin: “I am really struck by our amazing students especially as I have found them to be very open, warm and welcoming.  In wider society, students can sometimes be initially guarded but I have found South Dartmoor students to be articulate and friendly. They have a genuine interest in their college. There is a real diversity of students and they seem to be able to easily blend the academic side of school with their own interests such as performing arts or sport, for example. I also see a real affection by the students for the staff.”

What strikes you about our local area?

Kevin: “I am local to the area and spent my childhood in South Devon, so I know the area very well.  We are so lucky to have our communities based on Dartmoor or on its doorstep.  We have easy access to local rivers and the sea is just within 20 minutes of us. Our catchment area is unique within the South West. I would really like to see the school take real advantage of this beautiful setting and using the outdoors as a learning space.  This could give our students the chance the opportunity to thrive in and outside of the school environment.”

Tell us more about your role as the Interim School Principal

Kevin: “During this period, I think that my role is to create the right support to imbed strong structures for our key routines and rituals - for both the students and staff. This will create consistency in learning and behaviour for everyone. I hope that this side of the school will then work seamlessly. I see that the key to success as strong leadership along with a clear vision and high quality of education in the classrooms. This will be a good basis for the school to become even more successful for our students.”

What is the key message you’d like to send to our local communities?

Kevin: “South Dartmoor is a community school. I believe that it takes a community to raise a child; that should always be at the heart of our communities. I believe that we want to open doors for our students through education. We hope that they will become respectful, working members of our communities. We need all elements of our local community to support us. We have an extended catchment area and the locality of our school means that there is a significant rural distance to acknowledge.  It just means that we need to work harder to build our relationships with these communities. We are aiming for all our local primary schools to visit us during the transition period, for example, bringing in year sixes for projects based on food technology and sport. We have a successful school sports partnership and that is a real strength in building relationships.  South Dartmoor Community College is a valuable asset to our local communities and we welcome their input, engagement and support. ”

Lisa Robillard Webb

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