The Diocese of ManchesterEducation Department

Emerging academy strategy as at 02 October 2015

Canon Maurice Smith CB

Why? - Bishop’s Pilgrimage Vision and statutory duties

• Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus.

• Pass on the gospel message of faith, hope and love. Education – “a conversation between generations”

• DBE Measure/Academies Act 2010 – statutory role – – advise governors of CE schools on any matter;– consent to apply for Academy Order

What is the race set before us? The next lap: 2015/2016-2020

• Financial austerity/political ideology• Further diminution of LAs - ? central funding• Academies and free schools – the ‘new’ government

agenda - the new Education Bill• New targets – new definitions of ‘coasting schools’• Secular challenge to church schools• Demographic change: growth into secondary• Is primary (structural) collaboration the future?

Where are we now – 02 10 15

• 190 schools and academies: 57,000 pupils• 14 academies:

5/11 – 45% secondary [nationally 60%]

9/179 – 5% primary [nationally 19%]

2/179 – 1% primary ‘in pipeline’

• 82% Ofsted outstanding/good• 95% SIAMS outstanding/good• 1 school in Ofsted ‘category’• Very few rural schools; fewer VC schools

Manchester academy strategy

• Pre-2007 – Synergy between The Way Ahead and Labour government policy, Dearing/Adonis axis

• 2010 – neutral response to requests for conversion• 2010-15 – supportive of governing body decisions in

response to pressure for ‘sponsored’ academies• 2012-15 and in future – DBE not persuaded to

become sponsor or creator of MATs or all-Diocesan MAT – not successful/no capacity/not school-led

• 2012-15– DBE maintains the hierarchy of VA – VC – community

ie VA will not be given consent to join a VC or community sponsored MAT

• What next – mixed mode MATs?

Typology: convertor; sponsored; multi-academy trust; hard federation

• Convertor: outstanding/good• Sponsored: subject to ‘intervention’

(Warning Notice/Ofsted ‘category’ or Requires Improvement/below floor standards)

• Multi-academy trust: MAT, independent• Hard federation: maintained• Implications for governance and approvals required

Academy models in Manchester• Labour government: Mark 1/Wave 1

Salford City; St Anne’s, Middleton;

Bolton St Catherine’s (all-age)• Coalition government: convertors

Secondary: The Blue Coat, Oldham; Crompton House, Oldham; Trinity, Manchester

Primary: St Bede’s, Bolton; Cheetham, Manchester;

St Simon and St Jude’s, Bolton; St Paul’s, Astley Bridge, Bolton; St Chad’s, Oldham

• Coalition government: sponsored

St Barnabas, Manchester

Emerging multi-academy trust (MAT) models in Manchester• Didsbury CE Primary

+ free school (West Didsbury CE Primary) = MAT• Blue Coat, Oldham - Cranmer Education Trust

Secondary MAT + St George’s, East Crompton; St Margaret’s, Hollinwood (sponsored); Canon Burrows, Tameside, + Mayfield Community

• St Simon and St Jude’s and St Paul’s Astley Bridge

Primary MATs, VC VA conversions, + Longview community primary; St James, Gorton; Gorsefield, Bury

‘Float’ articulation for Manchester – autumn term 2015Small, self-governing primary MATs

• From laissez-faire/permissive to facilitating/enabling• Dropped into strategic conversations• Walking Pilgrimage conversations• Conference debate and Director’s contribution• Primary heads and chairs meetings May/November’15• Think-piece paper to Board• Board/Schools Committee seminar – 29 09 15

SUGGESTION OF ‘MAPPING’ WORKING PARTY• Primary conference – 02 10 15

Future strategy for ManchesterDiocesan ‘oil-in-the-wheels’

• Director’s briefing for GBs• 20 outliers either side but 140 ‘in play’• Could we ‘map it’ or play matchmaker?• Could we match it to parishes; go back 200 years

Cracks in the pavement• Parishes, as foundations, resist• Who becomes the Executive Principal• Community resistance – LA and schools• Break-up of existing collaboratives

National SocietyThe ‘thin end of the wedge’ DDE Carlisle

• 2012-15– DBE maintains the hierarchy of VA – VC – community

ie VA will not be given consent to join a VC or community sponsored MAT

• What next – mixed mode MATs? • Nigel Genders CEO

Andrew Martin – Academies Advisor24 09 15

With a Conservative Government until 2020, the current political education agenda is a simple one: more academies. Dioceses need to respond to this challenge.

Colin Hopkins – DDE Lichfield02 07 15

At a meeting with our RSC (Pank Patel) and DfE officials on 1st July, the DfE agreed to our request that Supplementary Funding Agreements and Articles can be strengthened in the way we want, so that mixed MATs can be facilitated without risk to CE character and governance. Whilst CE-only MATs are preferable, in a large diocese with lots of VCs it is not always possible to secure this, so we are looking at some potential mixed mode trusts providing there is absolute long term security about the Church character.

Richard Noake – DDE The Dales04 07 15

Having just returned from ‘upt’dale’ (well, one of them) where I’ve been speaking to 15 heads of small community and CE schools (majority CE) with one smallish community secondary provider (650) about collaboration being the future  - this is the key question isn’t it? They ask: ‘we might want to set up a MAT for us all to be in and you are saying the CE schools can’t join it unless it’s a CE model?! This might be a solution that works for all of us. We can’t do it without the CE being in it. Are you going to stand in the way of that?’

Um ………..

The Government are firmly committed to enabling dioceses and church schools to protect and sustain their ethos.  For example, where a Church of England diocese lacks the capacity to sponsor a school at the time it needs support, we may, with the involvement of the diocesan board of education, look to a non-church sponsor.  In such situations we will ensure that the arrangements that the sponsor enters into will safeguard the religious character and ethos of the school.  We will continue to work closely with the Churches on appropriate arrangements. 

Nick Gibb – Minister for Schools16 09 15 - House of Commons – 3rd Reading