Trust Schools

Whether the new Trust Schools status is an appealing proposition for state schools is currently attracting a lot of press coverage.

Will the change benefit the school and bring enhanced standards of education for our children? Or is it a government initiative making change for changes sake to let the local authority divert its financial and supportive responsibilities directly on to schools?

The initiative for Trust Schools came from the 2005 White Paper entitled ‘Higher Standards Better Schools for All’ The key words are ‘Higher Standards’ and these improved standards come from schools entering into formal partnerships with third parties. The aim is for these organisations to bring benefits that the school would not otherwise be able to offer and raise the standards of education for the children.

It has not always been immediately clear what those advantages could be, but a couple of examples might help. A secondary school with a particular specialism, say science, might look to partner with an environmental charity organisation. This could enhance the curriculum by using the practical knowledge, expertise and experience of the charity’s work. The environmental charity also benefits as it has a vehicle for sharing its work and reaching a wider audience - vitally important as they are the future guardians of the environment.

A second example might be a group of primary schools, with limited resources, who work together to pool their grant so that each school has a specific facility that the schools within that Trust all share. All the schools in this Trust have access to a greater number of facilities than they could afford individually.

A real plus of the system is its flexibility. Every school is different and proper evaluation of the partnership process is vital. Any partner(s) a school approaches must be able to show how they would bring benefits to the school to raise standards.

There is huge scope for really innovative and creative thinking. The successful partnerships will have energy and drive with specific and with well thought out aims and objectives. The Trust principle offers hugely exciting opportunities, and yes, some of these relationships could exist without the formality of changing to Trust status. But that very formality helps to give commitment and longevity to what might otherwise be an ad hoc association centred on particular individuals involved at any one time.

So, what’s not to like?

I have heard at various meetings, including a presentation given by myself and colleagues to a group of 35 or so Plymouth head teachers, governors and school business managers, a number of concerns about the legal effects of the changes. These primarily break down into liability, cost and control.

Setting up a Trust School means the local authority handing over ownership of school buildings and land, but who takes on the liabilities associated with them?

What about the costs of setting up the Trust and the ongoing service costs which the local authority currently provides, including dealing with employment issues?

What happens where there are health and safety issues resulting in claims?

To answer these questions, very simply you need to think about the changes you make when you move from a rented home to buying your own.

As a homeowner you have much greater liberty to occupy your house in a way that suits you. No landlord telling you what you can or cannot do, (although you are bound by the usual legal constraints which in the case of Trust Schools, includes Charity Law.) You can choose simply to occupy or make your property work for you, for example, by improving or extending it or by renting out rooms. You have security in that the landlord can’t decide it needs your accommodation for other purposes and you are at liberty to choose your service providers yourself.

Most home owners are only too aware, with the advantages of home ownership comes a mortgage and responsibilities. If a pipe bursts you cannot ring up the landlord any more, you have to sort it yourself: if you have a dispute with your neighbour or lodger you might need to seek professional assistance, at a cost, to resolve the problem. However, for almost every difficulty, the market has a product or package to deal with it. The key is to know as much as possible in advance so that there are as few surprises as possible.

Control over the budget and whether the nature of a school could change were other concerns raised. In a minority trust appointed governor situation the simple answer is no, the school and the Trust are separate entities. The governing body retains control in the same way as previously and the parent governors continue to make up the majority of the governing body. The Trust does not have to make any financial contribution to the school and neither the school nor the governing body have any liability for financial difficulties of the Trust.

So is the local authority off-loading its responsibilities? I don’t think so. Trust schools remain as maintained schools funded by the local authority budget grant. The local authority can continue to provide services possibly at a cost, but that cost will be market driven. Schools should obtain services at best value, wherever that might be, and don’t forget, for schools who want to retain a closer tie, the local authority can be a Trust partner.

The conclusion is that schools must look at the pros and cons individually and carry out their own cost/benefit analysis. If the advantages of partnering are the raising of standards in new and exciting ways for its students then looking at the best way to manage the associated responsibilities may be a price worth paying.

For more information or advice, contact Julia Green

Published 10/06/2008. The author of this article is Julia Green