Becoming an Academy St John’s Primary School Academy Conference 20 th June 2012

Becoming an Academy

St John’s Primary School Academy Conference

20th June 2012

Academy Background

• Key Government Flagship Policy• Over 500 (Convertor) Academies so far• LA Staff facing cutbacks and services

threatened - becoming commissioners• School LA staff feeling threatened • Funding restrictions for schools, Pension

changes• Decision made by People (Governors) after

consulting with Stakeholders (including Staff , the Community and Pupils)

What does Academy Mean to the Community

• Free, all ability state funded independent of LA control and support, governed and run by educationalists and the community

• Different to old failing school Academies (sponsor was needed)

• Accountable to the Department for Education

• New freedoms but with additional costs & risks

What does it mean for Pupils & Staff

• Freedoms & Benefits to focus on raising pupil attainment

• No LA interference or bureaucracy, but less support• Funding (increased) direct to the school• Flexibility in creating or maintaining a curriculum

relevant to our children (e.g. SBC)• Partnering with other schools, discretion on buying

quality services• Ownership of buildings/assets, lease/own land• Flexibility to reward staff, not tied to national terms

and conditions

Academies Act 2010

Gives schools new freedoms and flexibilities

School

Local Authority

Academy

Dept for Education

FundingFunding

Control Autonomy

What does it mean for Governors

• The Governing Body becomes the board/directors of the Academy Trust Company

• Limited by guarantee, exempt charitable status• Needs 3 (or more) non-paid Members to set-up• Can mirror current GB instrument/composition,

without Members having power over Governors• Governors set the strategy and challenge as per

their current role, finance responsibility• They continue to be the employer of staff

What does it mean for Governors

• Governors pass a resolution to be able to access funding and resources to make a balanced decision

• Governors consult with stakeholders• No right of veto (unless Trust/VA), GB

decision based on cost/benefit and consultation

• Existing employer consults with staff/unions

• Process takes 3-4 months

What does it mean for Staff

• All terms, conditions, policies are transferred as part of the TUPE process

• Continuous service and pension preserved

• The legal process requires a Measures letter to inform staff of any changes

• Two Consultations before any transfer• Contracts are unchanged, only a

transfer letter to the member of staff

What does it mean for Staff

• Pensions issues TP and LGPS: understand impact, actuarial assessment

• Additional administration & Premises responsibilities:– Local Authority support and services– Finance reporting & Audit– Premises and insurance

• Reliance on current HT/SLT and current Governing Body

What does it mean for Staff responsible for the conversion

• Grappling with information overload• Assessment of the costs and benefits• Project Management– HR elements– Finance elements– Premises– Legal

HR elements

• TUPE• Measures• Consultation• Due Diligence• Pensions

Identifying Challenges and the Solutions

HR elements

• Audit of Policies• Self Audit to ensure compliance to

statutory checks, changes going forward

• Staff Communication


Finance elements

• Process and Timeframe for reporting• Section 251review and Academy funding

(GAG)• VAT• Accounting arrangements & System• Transfer of Assets and liabilities• Cash flow/Balance Sheet/Budget Setting

Identifying Challenges and Solutions

Property Support & Asset Management elements

• Gap Analysis• Condition Survey• Outstanding disputes• Risk Assessments• Remedial steps


Property Support & Asset Management elements

• Audit Status of Key contracts• Assessment of service quality• Evaluate options• Audit of Insurances• Consideration /Evaluation of

alternativesIdentifying Challenges and the

Solutions

Legal elements• Checklist and briefing notes on each step/role• Memorandum and Articles of Association

(configuration of GB)• Funding Agreement (so you are paid directly)• Company Registration (a new company)• Lease and Land• Commercial Transfer Agreement (with the LA

and any other matters/lease)

Key MessagesPositives Possible

ProblemsGovernor’s Summary

Children

*Children will benefit from having individual needs met, as now, so that all children make good progress*Our focus on high expectations of learning and behaviour will remain the same*We would continue to work in a variety of collaborations as an active member of the Norton Radstock Network which includes a teaching school; benefits of this partnership have the potential to be significant *The SEN company currently being developed by the network is a positive example of what can be achieved by collaboration*We could have more budget/ flexibility to employ specialist staff such as family workers or therapists*We intend to retain our current uniform, school day and term times, and our hot meal service

*If schools design their own curriculum it could be a more challenging transition from school to school if a family moves area *Good schools already have some curriculum freedoms

Children and parents should not see big differences in the day-to-day operation of the school. If anything, their educational experience should improve due to staff having more curricula freedom.

Positives Possible Problems

Governor’s Summary

Curriculum

*Freedom from following the National Curriculum in its entirety*Opportunity to allocate subject time as we see fit* Can continue with our ‘Key Skills’ led curriculum and develop and refine this further, ensuring the learning suits each cohort’s interests*Can maintain our focus on creativity & child initiated learning across the curriculum*High standards and high expectations of progress and attainment for every child in literacy and numeracy can be a priority

*School Leadership would be responsible for the curriculum without LA support(our emphasis and expectation is for the highest standards across the curriculum – focusing on school priorities for our learner) *Academies still subject to OFSTED inspections to ensure the highest possible standards are met.

The children will receive the same high standard of teaching BUT staff will not have to adhere to National Curriculum stipulations when they do not believe they benefit the children’s learning and development.



Budget & Finance

*All Government allocated money would go straight to the school, without a share going to the LA. *More freedom to spend our money as we want to, andon our priorities*We should receive around 10% more budget, although we need to purchase more services with this*The Governing Body would manage all the school’s finances and be able to choose what is purchased and from whom. *We could join with other cluster schools to maximise buying power and achieve economies of scale.

*More administration work would need to be done in order to procure services that the LA used to provide *Schools already have many financial freedoms*Governors become responsible for commissioning an external audit of finance and returning accounts to Companies House like any other limited company

The school should have more money to spend and will be able to prioritise budgets to provide children with what they need to succeed rather than what the LA dictates BUT we will need to buy in some services which have previously been provided and will need to ensure adequate funding is available.



Staffing

*Governors would continue to be the employers of school staff and would influence polices *Governors would be responsible for pensions, and future terms and conditions of support staff*Freedom to set pay scales to attract and retain the best staff to suit the children’s needs and school priorities*A number of B&NES schools are already, or are applying to become, academies* Governors believe St John’s Primary has a strong and effective leadership team, with a dedicated staff, and are confident that the academy conversion process would be effectively managed

*time and work for governors, school leaders and admin staff in managing the conversion process * staff may feel unsettled by the process of change and could seek to apply for jobs elsewhere* unions are generally opposed to Academies*Some schools could “poach” staff by offering more generous terms

Although Academies have the freedom to adopt their own policies, the Governing Body at St John’s Primary is committed to retaining national, and local, pay and conditions for all its staff for the foreseeable future, and believes the risks are outweighed by the increased opportunities for professional development.

Positives Possible Problems Governor’s Summary

School Management

*More freedom to manage our school*Can focus on school priorities which benefit our children and pursue these regardless of a national change or agenda*Freedom to change the school day; timings, lesson structure if we feel necessary (after consultation and in agreement with cluster schools)*Possibility of adapting school term dates (although we are not planning to make changes)*Flexibility to alter support staff pay scales (teachers are on National Pay and Conditions which remain unaffected)

*Confusion / difficulty for parents if local schools had different term dates /timings (we would liaise within the cluster to ensure this was not a problem)*Staff could feel uneasy / anxious about the changes

We’re not using Academy status to usher in fundamental changes to an already good school BUT we will benefit from not having to adhere to every new policy or LA change.

Positives Possible Problems Governor’s Summary

Governance

*Governors become more responsible for the strategic direction of the school*Governors continue to be the direct employer of all staff*More permanence to the terms of governors*Parents have guaranteed representation on the Governing Body

*Governing Bodies need to have a business skill set between them*There is a lot more responsibility on Governors, which remains a voluntary post

Although the responsibilities are greater, governors already have a great deal of strategic responsibility and believe the positives outweigh the additional workload.



Admission

s

*We continue to have control of admissions to school; we would also manage our in year waiting list so that we can benefit local children and the community *We would work with the diocese and LA to follow the national code of practice on admissions*We would maintain the links with our existing community and our cluster schools and to communicate directly with parents about admissions rather than via a third party.

*More administrative work if managing our own admissions appeals; this service may need purchasing from the diocese*Consultation needed with the LA, local community and the DfE if there should be a need to change admissions criteria from 2013 onwards.

Although we would still adhere to government policy, a conversion to Academy status should give us more control than at present and be able to define our criteria in order to foster a strong sense of local community which benefits families and children.



Premises and Scho

ol Site

*Governors would become leaseholders of the school site and buildings, and so could prioritise any repairs and development

* The DfE would provide some assistance to the school but on a more remote basis.*The Governing Body would ensure the school was adequately insured and take steps to ensure any potential issues were identified at an early stage

*Due to the age of some of the buildings this could present some challenges * Legal advice would be needed to insure against any problems in future. *The school will be directly responsible for its own future and will not have the LA to fall back on for support.

Becoming an Academy would give us more freedom to use our premises in the way we choose BUT we would also have to assume more responsibility and potentially costs for the upkeep of the school in future.

Questions and Answers

Documents

Becoming an Academy St John’s Primary School Academy Conference 20 th June 2012