what does it all mean? collaborations, federations, trusts and academies

What does it all mean?

COLLABORATIONS, FEDERATIONS, TRUSTS

AND ACADEMIES

CollaborationFederationPartnership

TrustsAcademies:SponsoredConverterChainsFree schools

A GAME OF TWO HALVES

18/04/23 www.thegovernor.org.uk 2

National College www.nationalcollege.org.uk

New models of school leadership and organisation

Toolkit

NGAwww.nga.org.ukAcademies Q&A

DfEwww.education.gov.ukAcademies toolkit etc

NCOGSwww.ncogs.org.ukAcademies toolkit

www.thegovernor.org.uk

USEFUL SOURCES OF INFORMATION


LAs declining – year on year budget cuts; focus on weakest schools

Local collaborative arrangements – education trusts, federations, partnerships

More Academies and Free schools outside LA control – responsible to Sec of State

Four new executive agencies responsible for key delivery functions: Standards & Testing Agency; Teaching Agency; National College; Education Funding Agency

Academy chains growing varied approachesPrivate companies providing services – for and not for

profitFor profit companies running schools – Social Enterprise

schools?

THE MUDDLE IN THE MIDDLE


A NEW LOCAL AUTHORITY?

14-19

PartnershipsPartnerships

ConfederationsConfederations

Hard FederationsHard Federations

Community & VA Community & VA

AcademiesAcademies

Through SchoolsThrough Schools

TrustsTrusts

CollaborationsCollaborations

Free schoolsFree schools

THE COLLABORATION CONTINUUM

FORMAL INFORMAL Federation Collaboration Partnership


Federation: a formal arrangement where schools (of any size or type) come together to share a single governing body

Each school retains its own legal status, character, budget and performance tables and will have separate Ofsted inspections. Admissions processes do not change

Individual GBs are dissolved and a new instrument of governance establishes a single federated governing body in their place

Success depends on schools being sited within reasonable distance of each other

Federations can ease financial pressure within schools because resources can be shared and deployed across the federation

Typically one head teacher acts as an “Executive Headteacher” for two or more schools forming the partnership, and operates a system of devolved leadership and management to others who work collaboratively for the good of all

Formal consultation is required and statutory procedures must be followed

FEDERATION


SHORT HEATH FEDERATION

Leadership teamLeadership team

Mixed community and VC model

One GBOne GB

Executive headExecutive head

Collaboration: the GBs of groups of maintained schools meet or set up joint committees, including strategic committees, with delegated powers from the school’s individual GBs

The GBs may delegate any or all of their power to a joint committee but retain legal responsibility and corporate liability for all decisions taken on their behalf

Formal Collaborations have a legal basis in terms of shared staff contracts, shared (executive) Headteacher, or facilities

Federations and Trusts are examples of formal collaborations

COLLABORATION


WILLINGDON COLLABORATION

Transition

Breakfast club

One 11-18 Secondary School with two Primary SchoolsOne 11-18 Secondary School with two Primary Schools

Headteacher in each schoolHeadteacher in each school

Partnerships with other family Primary Schools outside the CollaborationPartnerships with other family Primary Schools outside the Collaboration

Partnerships (less formal collaborations) provide schools with the potential to develop:

Networks for personal supportShared expertise and resources Shared services Joint professional development Joint pupil activities Informal collaborations may be the basis for a more formal

arrangement at a later stage.

PARTNERSHIP


Mixed Federations, Collaborations and Partnerships

Schools can be part of a Federation as well as part of a wider collaboration or partnership

Not likely to be a single Headteacher, but will probably incorporate a variety of leadership models

Being part of a Federation does not preclude collaborative or partnership working with schools outside of the Federation


PICK AND MIX

Leadership of more than one school: an evaluation of the impact of federated schools (Ofsted Sept 2011)

Schools embarking on federation should:ensure that the strategic purpose of federation and the

subsequent planning to achieve it are sharply focused on the benefits to pupils’ education

make sure that governing bodies establish rigorous procedures to hold leaders to account for their work that go beyond the initial steps taken to establish the federation

consult and communicate effectively with parents, staff, pupils and the community at the earliest stage when considering federation so that barriers that may arise as a result of concern about change are avoided.

OFSTED ON FEDERATIONS


Teaching and learning, achievement and behaviour had improved in all 10 of the federations visited where schools previously judged by inspection to be weak had been federated with a more successful school. In all cases, a single system of assessing and tracking pupil progress was used in these federations.

One major advantage of federation governance was the improvement in the governance of weaker schools as a result of having shared arrangements.

In 11 of the 13 federations where schools had federated to protect the quality of education, pupils were now enjoying an enriched curriculum and a greater range of opportunities and extra-curricular activities.

KEY FINDINGS


In eight of the 13 cases there was greater capacity to meet pupils’ needs flexibly and swiftly. More effective pooling of resources and expertise and central coordination by a single SENCO

Academic transition was greatly enhanced by a common approach to teaching, learning and assessment between schools.

Effective leadership was critical to their success in building good capacity for sustained improvement. There was no evidence to suggest that any particular leadership structure across the federated schools was more effective than any other.

KEY FINDINGS 2


The impact of governance was varied.The biggest potential barrier to federation resulted from

concerns from parents, pupils and staff about what the changes would mean to them.

In 17 of the federations, the local authority facilitated the process of federation effectively, particularly during the early stages where it provided valuable expertise and guidance.

In six more federations the local authority had been the driving force behind persuading governing bodies and headteachers to embark on federation.

KEY FINDINGS 3


Upholds the principles of inclusionSolves problem of unsustainability of single head for every

school, however smallEncourages alternative, more innovative models of leadership

- devolved, collaborative within and beyond the organisations, and extends its influence beyond that of improving the school to wider community issues


BENEFITS OF COLLABORATION

Improved provision for pupils:

wider resources and facilities

a greater range of expertise

more appropriate extended services

more focused support at the points of transition

Opportunities for staff development:

observe excellent practice

share expertise across a range of subjects

gain valuable experience within the larger organisation

FOR PUPILS AND STAFF


Management functions can be simplified, avoiding duplication of effort

Opportunity to be more flexible or creative with the L&M structures

Financial benefits through enhanced purchasing power when letting contracts or buying resources; negotiate shared service agreements

Additional costs can include transport between sites


FOR LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

What’s your school’s position on collaboration at the moment?

What might your preferred situation be in the future?What would you need to do to get there?Who would be your main collaborators? If you’re not thinking of collaboration now, what might

encourage you to do so?


DISCUSSION

A Trust is a state funded Foundation School supported by a charitable trust made up of the school and its partners (such as local businesses, university or community groups)

Existing foundation schools can set up a charitable trustCommunity schools can take on foundation status and set up

a trust within a single processSchools can set up a trust in a collaborative group whereby

the schools acquire foundation status and adopt the same trust

Trust schools remain local authority maintained schools

TRUSTS


BRIDGWATER EDUCATION TRUST


Each school changed status from community to foundation. This means that the Bridgwater schools now have agreed to take back some of the responsibilities previously held by Somerset County Council

The Trust is responsible for the land and the recruiting of Foundation Governors. The Trust schools manage their own assets, employ their own staff, set their own admissions arrangements within the statutory Admissions Code and choose which partners to work with

Trust facilitates and promotes collaboration between the schools and supports development work to promote school improvements across Bridgwater

This formalised collaborative approach enables a diverse curriculum to be agreed across the town, and should result in greater opportunities for students

www.bridgwatereducationtrust.co.uk

BRIDGWATER EDUCATION TRUST


Sponsored Originally set up under Labour

government – all were “failing” schools

free from local authority control led by sponsors from a wide range of

backgrounds (eg, business and voluntary sector)

free (within certain limits) to adapt the national curriculum to suit the needs of their pupils

set their own pay and conditions for staff

change the duration of terms and school days

generously funded, often including new buildings (pre-Coalition gov’t)

Converter not necessarily serve areas of high

deprivation not required to have an external

sponsor (the academy trust delegates management of the school to the GB) but may do so

not required to establish an endowment fund

not be subject to routine school inspection by Ofsted (if they are rated as ‘outstanding’)

convert in a shorter timescale (typically less than one year)

receive project start-up funding of around £25,000 from the DfE

expected to support another school or schools

ACADEMIES

The Academies Act provided the legislative framework to enable most schools in England to have the freedom to become an academy, including:

Schools assessed by Ofsted as “outstanding” or ‘good with outstanding features’

Other schools, including special and primary schools, can apply in partnership with an existing academy or join an existing academy trust with a proven record of school improvement

Schools compelled to become academies by the secretary of state

These are known as converter academies, some of which can also be sponsored academies if a sponsor is involved.


WHO CAN CONVERT?

Partnership between academies that have made a commitment to support each other and raise educational standards across the partnership

Vary in their size and compositionCan be formalised partnerships where academies share

resources and staff as part of a shared trust or they can be informal arrangements for supporting and sharing best practice solutions with other academies in the area

Chain models include multi-academy trusts, umbrella trusts and collaborative partnerships. There are several chains, including ARK, Harris and React


ACADEMY CHAINS

Free Schools are all-ability state-funded schools set up in response to parental demand

Can be set up by a wide range of proposers, including charities, universities, businesses, educational groups, teachers and groups of parents

Have the same legal requirements as academies


FREE SCHOOLS

Where are you now in consideration of Academy status?

What appeals to you about Academy status?What puts you off?What questions remain unanswered?If you’ve become an Academy, what lessons did

you learn?

SOME QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

what does it all mean? collaborations, federations, trusts and academies

Documents

academies slide

maintained schools

schools individual gbs

academies toolkit

gb executive head slide

academies qa dfe

executive headteacher

facilities federations