Message from the Head

Welcome!

First impressions of Damers are often based on the new purpose-built building which sits in the heart of the Duchy of Cornwall’s Poundbury development, but the beauty in our school exists beyond the bricks and mortar and is firmly founded in strong relationships and our relentless determination to ‘find the learner’ within every single child, whatever their starting point, keeping our children at the heart of absolutely everything that we do. 

Our school is a vibrant place in which to learn, work and play. Our ethos is probably best summarised through our logo, the Damers butterfly. Our butterfly was introduced at a time of transformation for our school, when we opened the new site in 2017, and reflects our aspiration to give our children the wings to fly, both during and beyond their time at Damers. The logo was purposefully designed as a non-symmetrical butterfly to reflect our commitment to inclusion, is bold to reflect our bravery in relevant and meaningful curriculum design, and ultimately reflects our love of and care for the natural world, and how we ensure that our children recognise their place within that and their role as agents of change. We strongly believe that those within our community should be ‘brave, unique, caring and kind’ an expectation that permeates all aspects of school life.

I have been the Headteacher at Damers since 2013 and there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t recognise the incredibly privileged position that I am in when learning alongside our unique children, leading the dedicated Damers team, serving our vibrant and diverse community and collaborating with colleagues within a growing, values-based multi-academy trust. We are a strong and happy team, working together to provide the very best for our children.

I hope that your visit to our website gives you a flavour of what life is like at Damers but if you haven’t already, do please come and visit so that you can experience our school and recognise the pride that myself and our community feel in this incredibly special place.

If you would like to speak to me about anything relating to school, or your child, please don’t hesitate to contact me via the school office. Alternatively catch me most mornings at the school gate.

Catherine Smith

Headteacher