Madeley High SchoolA Specialist Technology Academy?

Consultation on Academy Conversion

Maintaining our vision of a breathtaking school

Where pupils achieve and celebrate success through commitment and courage; supporting, encouraging and valuing each other.

Our school: a brighter future

• To undertake conversion to Academy Status to open up new opportunities

– To develop the Made for Madeley (M4M) curriculum

– To initiate and lead on partnerships utilising our independence

Aim: to be proactive

• To establish a Trust which promotes our vision, mission and values

• To build on our strengths• To remain at the heart of our

community

Context: a climate of change

• National drive towards school autonomy and independence through the Academies Programme

• County creation of an Education Support Service with Capita as the lead partner

What is the process?

What is the timescale?

• Consultation until Feb 15th 2013• Application subject to approval by

Governors after half-term• Preparation over Easter and

Summer Terms• Conversion for 1st September 2013

What will change?Staying the same Changing• School ethos, vision,

mission and values• School name, uniform and

culture (no sponsor)• School day, structures and

holidays• Commitment to our

community and partner schools

• School policies • Statutory expectations

• A Trust responsible for governance, employment and premises

• A Made for Madeley (M4M) curriculum

• Direct funding from central government supporting flexibility

• Widening partnerships• Educational support• Quality of the school

environment

Perspectives on conversion

Mr Keith HollinsExecutive Principal of Leek Federation and Cheadle AcademyMr Tim MossCounty Improvement Manager

SHOULD YOUR SCHOOL BECOME AN ACADEMY?

Keith HollinsExecutive Principal

The Leek FederationThe Cheadle Academy

ACADEMIES – A DEFINITION

‘Academies are publicly funded independent schools free from local authority and national government control.’

Source: Department for Education

SO HOW MAY ACADEMIES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SCHOOLS?

• Freedom from Local Authority control• The ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff• Freedom from following the National Curriculum• Greater control of their budget [paid directly by DfE]• Greater opportunities to collaborate with public and

private organisations• Freedom to change the length of terms and school days• Freedom to spend the money the Local Authority

currently spends on their behalfGove: ‘Teachers not politicians know how best to run schools’,

DfE, 26 May 2010

So what are the potential advantages? • PULL FACTORS- Greater financial and operational freedoms to meetschool’s priorities- National political landscape and timing of decision

E.G. ACMF- £25,000- Resources at a time of cuts- School meals- Commitment to networks of outstanding schools- Flexibility – curriculum, resources, bids- Local reputation management – timing is right

• PUSH FACTORS– Local Authority in decline– Cuts– Composition of Governors / their philosophy– Current political philosophy of leadership– Psychology of institution is right

Any downsides?• School leaders need capacity to take on wider managerial

remit including management of services and suppliers – implications for work of headteacher; need school business manager and finance team increased capacity e.g. to meet auditors, VAT

• Additional paperwork – mainly Head, governor meetings and finance

• Role of governors; governors need to be confident they have the skills to oversee finance and HR as well as taking on the additional responsibilities of charity trustees

• Schools need to negotiate service contracts for services no longer provided by LA

• Potential risk of loss of networking with other local schools and LA

• Additional meetings – finance staff e.g. auditors

Academies: the wider picture (1)

• LAs concerned that creation of academies and consequent loss of funding to LA may affect ability to service remaining schools

• Wider concern that risk of two tier education system with academies enjoying freedoms not available to other schools

• Concern about fragmentation of family of schools

Academies: the wider picture (2)• Further cuts in school budgets or LA

services from 2013, may make academy status more attractive

• Cuts in LA funding and service provision may open up education service market to new providers

• New opportunities for schools, working individually or together, to sponsor new groupings of schools as academies or become service providers themselves

Academies: more information

• Funding – Ready reckoner on DfE website helps assess funding implications: worth doing. Some local schools have found +10% on current budgets before buying in additional services currently provided by LA.

• Initial grant – the DfE is currently providing an initial grant of £25k to all schools converting to cover set up costs

• Consultation – requirement to consult staff, parents and the unions before submitting an academy application. The results of the consultation are not binding on the Governing Body.

Academies: yet more information• Pensions – teachers and support staff will

stay in their current pension schemes• Redundancies – academies bear the cost

of any redundancies they need to make

So what do you need to consider as a community in making your decision?• In what ways might our pupils, staff, parents and

wider community benefit from academy freedoms?• How could we use academy status to raise standards

and address other school development needs?• What are the implications for the work load of

headteacher, staff and governing body? How would we source the educational support and management services we needed?

• What are the likely financial implications of academy status including liability for pension scheme deficits?

• Have we identified the land and property transfer issues we need to consider?

• Are we prepared, as a Governing Body, to take on the additional responsibilities of being academy governors and charity trustees?

• What do key members of our school community think currently?

• How would academy status affect our character and distinctiveness?

• What is our risk appetite as a school?• What are other local schools planning to do

and how might this affect our decision?• How would academy status affect our

significant partnerships ..... other schools, LA, business partnerships etc?

APPENDIX: Services which LAs will continue to provide to academies:• Home to school transport (including SEN)• Education psychology, SEN statementing and

assessment• Monitoring of SEN provision, parent partnerships etc• Prosecution of parents for non-attendance• Individually assigned SEN resources for pupils with

rare medical conditions• PRUs or education otherwise for pupils no longer

registered at an academy• Intervention

APPENDIX: Services funded from LA’s school budget not provided free to academies:• SEN support services• Behaviour support services• Assessment of free school meals eligibility• Repair and maintenance of kitchens• Museum and library services• Licences and subscriptions• Central staff costs (maternity, long term

sickness and trade union duties)

APPENDIX: Services funded from other LA sources not provided free to academies:• Asset management costs• School improvement services• Monitoring national curriculum assessment• Education welfare services• Pupil support (eg clothing grants)• Music services• Visual and performing arts services• Outdoor education services• Certain redundancy and early retirement costs• Costs of LA’s statutory/regulatory duties

Any questions?

• Please visit the school website for more details.

• Written comments may be submitted to the school via academy@madeley.staffs.sch.uk