The Education Landscape Is Changing…

The new coalition government has given the opportunity to schools to break away from local authority control and become academies.

All schools regarded as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted now have an automatic right to academy status, which could be achieved as soon as September 2010. The significance of this move is that no sponsorship is required and that academy schools will receive funding direct from Whitehall and be free to spend it as they wish. It has been calculated that a secondary school with a budget of £5million p/a could save up to £500,000 p/a. Additional funding of £25,000 is also available for the costs of setting up an academy.

The Government appears to be acknowledging that schools that are classed as outstanding are capable of increased autonomy. The difference between these proposed new academies and the existing academies and trust schools, would appear to be independence without sponsors and without trust partners. Existing foundation and trust schools could make the switch if they wished to do so.

So, what has changed from the current academy process?

There are three main elements: the charity, land and employment.

The individual members of the school’s governing body will be responsible for establishing the academy trust. The academy trust (a charitable company limited by guarantee) will enter into an Academy Agreement with the Secretary of State for the running of the academy. The academy trust will have members (those who set up the trust) who are responsible for appointing the governors to the governing body of the academy trust. It is the governing body that manages the academy on behalf of the members of the academy trust.

The land and buildings of a community school adopting academy status could be subject to a long lease of 125 years between the local authority and the charitable company (or there may be a requirement for land to be transferred to the trust, as in trust schools, to be held for the benefit of the school). In any case the charitable company is responsible for looking after those assets for the benefit of the school.

The third major difference is that the governors are responsible for the staff and become the employers . This is the case already for foundation or trust maintained schools.

The main difference between existing academies and outstanding Ofsted academies is that the body responsible for the strategic direction and management decisions will be the individuals that already do it now.

The ‘new’ requirement is that the academy will be expected to sign up in principle to support another school to raise attainment.

At Foot Anstey we have experience in both the trust school and academy areas of the sector, and have a specialist knowledge of the academy process. We are well placed to provide the support and advice required by schools considering the change of status. We would be very happy to assist with queries or questions you may have, We are passionate about education and committed to working with schools to help you realise your aims and vision.

Published 21/06/2010. The author of this article is Julia Green