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Woking and Weybridge Deaneries Multi-Academy Trust Consultation

Woking and Weybridge Deaneries Multi-Academy Trust Consultation St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Wednesday 3 rd February 2016. Academies Introduction. What is an Academy?

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Woking and Weybridge Deaneries Multi-Academy Trust Consultation

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  1. Woking and Weybridge Deaneries Multi-Academy Trust Consultation St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Wednesday 3rd February 2016

  2. AcademiesIntroduction • What is an Academy? • Academies are publicly funded state schools that are independent of the Local Authority and receive funding directly from central government. The School will still be a Catholic School under the authority of the Bishop of Arundel & Brighton and its religious designation will not change. • Arundel and Brighton Diocese Direction • The Bishop has told Catholic Schools in this diocese that we can only become academies in deaneries within the Diocese and that each Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) should cover two deaneries and be cross-phase (Primary and Secondary together) • Why is this being considered? • As a successful Voluntary Aided School, gaining Academy status would give us the autonomy to continue to develop our School and to continue to achieve high standards. As a multi-academy trust, there will be greater opportunities for working more closely with other local Catholic schools and the wider community of schools.

  3. AcademiesWhat is an academy? • Independent state school-charitable company limited by guarantee • Funded and accountable to the Secretary of State and not the Local Authority (LA) • Freedom: • From LA control • To set staff pay and terms & conditions • From following the National Curriculum • To change length of terms and school days

  4. AcademiesLegal status • Academies are run by the Academy Trust, subject to company and charitable law (but exempt from Charities Commission regulation) • An Academy Trust is a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee • Academy Trust have a 7 year legally binding Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State for Education • The Academy Trust does not ‘own’ the school, nor can it profit from the Academy. • Academy Trust members have a legal duty to act in the interests of the Academy

  5. AcademiesConversion Criteria • The Academies Act 2010 • Enabled maintained schools to become academies • Who can convert? • Schools that are “performing well enough” • 3 years data above floor standards- stable or improving KS results • Ofsted report – Outstanding school or good with outstanding features showing capacity to improve, outcomes and leadership and management • Good financial health

  6. Proposed MAT Structure DfE Diocese Secretary of State for Education Bishop Diocesan Academy Strategic Board Education Funding Agency (EFA) Multi-Academy Trust Trust Board of Directors Legal Strategic Local Governing Body Local Governing Body Local Governing Body Academy (School) Academy (School) Academy (School) Operational

  7. MAT Board of Directors Responsibilities • Ensure the quality of educational provision • Challenge and monitor the performance of the academy • Manage the academy trust’s finances and property • Employ staff

  8. Woking Deanery and Weybridge Deanery SchoolsExpressing Interest in Forming a MAT • 9 schools have come forward at this point:

  9. Woking Deanery and Weybridge Deanery Proposed MAT Schools Map St Anne's Catholic Primary School St Alban's Catholic Primary School 6 7 St Charles Borromeo Catholic 5 8 4 Salesian School 9 Cardinal Newman Catholic Primary The Holy Family Catholic Primary School St Augustine's Catholic Primary School 1 2 3 St John the Baptist School St Hugh of Lincoln Catholic Primary School

  10. MAT Opportunities • We would be working with schools with a very similar vision and ethos and the Catholic identity of our schools is preserved • There is improved stability for Catholic schools at a time when there is more lobbying against faith schools • We are able to travel to all of these schools within a lunch break • All of the schools in this MAT are high achieving being either good or outstanding so there would be much good practice to share • Research has shown that the most successful MATs are those built upon existing relationships, that you can travel to in a lunch break and are between 6-12 schools in size • Two of the schools in this MAT are teaching schools, training primary and secondary teachers and have maths hubs. • These schools have already been working together within Deanery groups already for a number of years

  11. MAT Additional Responsibilities & Challenges • Greater freedoms do bring additional responsibilities including statutory duties as an academy trust company, but the School is confident that we can manage these • These are not schools ‘on our doorstep’; the distance to a couple is quite far – travel time will need to be considered • How will we continue to maintain good working relationships with our local colleagues?

  12. Proposed Draft Vision and Values • Continuous improvement of quality of teaching and learning for our children • Raise standards (sharing of good practice, ideas, training, consultancy) • Retain maximum autonomy • Open culture / trust • Equal footing • Commitment to improve / Peer Reviews • Bulk purchasing • Improved services • Staff development opportunities • More inter-school activities

  13. Finances • How do the finances compare for an academy to LA school? • We have spoken to a number of academies and they state that their budgets are fairly similar to what they had before but that they have greater choice about what to do with it • At present the LA hold back some of the funds given to schools and this would be additional funds that the school would receive directly following conversion • All the schools would need to use the same finance system and report fully audited accounts

  14. What are the advantages of conversion? • Formalise and strengthen our existing partnership work with other Catholic schools which will enhance our catholicity, reinforce our shared values and promote a culture of openness and trust; • Support the continuity of Catholic education in this area for pupils from 4 to 18 years and ease their transition from primary to secondary school; • Enable all schools both to access and to deliver peer-led school-to-school support, sharing outstanding teaching and learning expertise across the Trust schools; • Provide additional opportunities to share resources and facilities, developing a collaborative way of working and ‘joined-up’ provision for the benefit of all of our pupils and families; • Secure additional finance to invest in resources for our pupils and schools by providing access to funding that the LA would otherwise receive and spend on our behalf; • Enable member schools to respond more effectively to the budget pressures all schools are facing by securing economies of scale whilst retaining individual school autonomy; • Reduce the impact of any future reduction in LA services by developing our own capacity to meet the needs of our pupils or commissioning our own specialist support services – for example, to support pupils with SEN.

  15. Benefits • Benefits to Children • Working collaboratively to improve the quality of teaching and learning across our schools • Sharing best practice and ideas (all schools involved are good or outstanding) • Improved primary to secondary transition for many children • Continuous improvement of teaching • Shared training • Access to teaching schools • Benefits to the Community • By working together collaboratively, the schools will be better placed to support the work of the parishes • The development of the MAT will also give strength to the Catholic voice and viewpoint within local communities and the education sector • By supporting each other in the promotion of gospel values we will develop a future generation that demonstrates these values in their everyday lives

  16. Changes Affecting the School • Will any changes to the School be made as a result of conversion? • We do not intend to make any changes to the School as a result of the conversion, apart from taking advantage of the opportunities discussed earlier to work more closely with other schools in the MAT. • The Catholic character, ethos and values of the School would remain unchanged, should the Academy conversion take place • We anticipate that this opportunity to work even more closely together within a supportive Catholic Multi-Academy Trust would further strengthen and support the School’s ethos and traditions

  17. Consultation • Wide stakeholder group: • Parents • Teachers • Parishes • Survey: • Online: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2SCLS7J • Paper copies Timeline: • 25th January 2016 to 12th February 2016

  18. Proposed Target Dates • Academy conversion application 4th March 2016 • Full Academy Status 1st September 2016

  19. MAT Benefits Summary Better Schools For All Our Children Securing Long Term Future for Our Schools Exceptional Quality of Teaching & Learning Improving Our Children's Educational Provision from 4 to 18 Years Inter-School Challenge and Support / Peer Reviews Building on Best Practice and Ideas Raising Standards Commitment to Improve by Working Together Whole School Improvement Strengthened Catholic School Partnership

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