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Heartsease Primary School Academy Status Our Continuing Vision • We aim to ensure that pupils leave Heartsease Primary School having identified a skill, talent or intelligence, and with a sense of their own uniqueness. We teach children to challenge self imposed restrictions, foster high aspirations and encourage positive self esteem, enabling them to leave our school secure in the knowledge that the world is at their feet.We motivate and inspire pupils through creative teaching which is innovative, well paced and uses the most up to date teaching methods and technology. • We expect children in our community to reach age related levels, in line with national standards, as a minimum and ensure that the barriers to learning are removed so that every pupil reaches their full potential. • At our school, we teach pupils to take responsibility for their own actions; children learn that they have choices and learn to evaluate the consequences of the choices they make. • All members of the school community, including pupils, staff, governors and parents, recognise that they hold a stake in Heartsease Primary School; they are committed to establishing a life-long love of learning, enabling our children to take their place confidently within a rapidly changing world. Agenda • Journey so far • What is an Academy? • Reasons not to become an Academy • Our situation and intentions • Why this is right for Heartsease? • Consultation • Timeline • Further Information Journey so far • As a good school, the governors would be failing in their strategic responsibilities if they had not considered academy status. September 2011 Registered an interest October 2011 Further thinking and research Late October 2011 Governors unanimous in their belief that this is right ‘next step’ for the school November 2011 Staff meeting to consult teaching and non teaching staff. December 2011 Parent consultation What is an Academy • Academies are classed as ‘independent’ state schools. • They are charitable companies limited by guarantee. • Rather than being directly funded and accountable to the local authority (LA), they are funded by the Young People’s Learning Agency and accountable to the Secretary of State. • The Academy Trust is responsible for the land and assets of an academy. The make-up of an academy governing body is determined by its Articles of Association and the majority of the governing body may be appointed by the Academy Trust. • Academy governing bodies are not subject to the same Governance Regulations (constitution, procedures, staffing) as maintained schools. • Academies are required to support other schools. • Some Academies have sponsors. Freedoms according to the DFE • “Academies benefit from greater freedoms to innovate and raise standards. These include: • • freedom from local authority control • the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff • freedoms around the delivery of the curriculum • the ability to change the lengths of terms and school days. • We are also making plans for further freedoms for academies in the way they engage in local partnerships and deliver 14-to-19 education, subject to successful passage of the Education Bill 2011.” • http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0061252/about-academies Thinking about a ‘new style’ Academy • There is a history in Heartsease with respect to Academies. • Whatever the positive and negative thoughts and experiences related to these it would be wrong to consider current Academy conversions in the same light. Reasons not to become an Academy • Ideologically opposed • Increased responsibility for staff and governors • Staff move from a large employer to a small one • Trust/Directors could change things in the future • Loss of LA support, advice, services and scrutiny • Cost of buying in previously ‘provided’ services • School is ‘on it’s own’ • Loss of accountability at a local level • Possible adverse impact on funding for other schools Freedom from LA control • We have already moved a number of Service Level Agreements away from NCC in search of better quality and value • We are a good school and therefore in a ‘light touch’ category with regard to involvement and support from NCC • The level of service has reduced over the last year due to increasing financial constraints • NCC are supportive of schools wishing to become Academies – they wish to maintain an ongoing working relationship, as do we. Staff pay and conditions • We will undertake never to pay staff less than they would receive in a maintained school. In many cases we want to attract the best staff and pay them accordingly. • No change to pay and conditions other than to enhance them (School Teachers’ Pay & Conditions document and SCC support staff pay scales) • Staff will TUPE across to the Academy as the ‘new’ employer • Pension schemes remain in place and any other benefits currently available • HR and payroll services will be bought in Curriculum • We will still be required to meet national reporting requirements and carry out any statutory assessments – these determine a large part of any school’s curriculum • We already shape our curriculum to meet the needs of pupils • There are no plans to make any radical changes to the curriculum and we would consult on anything significant. Term dates and school day times • No plans to change these • It makes sense to ensure uniformity, as much as is possible, with local schools in Heartsease and Norfolk for the benefit of parents and staff. • Any change that might be thought appropriate in the future would be subject to consultation. Admissions • Would retain the admission criteria we currently use • Continue to work with Norfolk County Council • When a school becomes an Academy, the Academy Trust becomes the admissions authority, therefore 1 – we could manage our own admissions process with consultation on any changes and regular publication of admission arrangements 2 – we would need to establish an Independent Appeals Panel 3 – we must comply with the School Admissions Code Governance • An Academy Trust will be established which will appoint the Trustees and Directors (Governors and Principals). • We must have at least two parent governors, no more than a third of governors can be academy staff, and there can be no more than one LA governor. • http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/academie sfaq/a0066020/governance-faqs Governance 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 NCC ongoing responsibilities • Home to school transport (including SEN) • Education psychology, SEN statementing and assessment • Monitoring of SEN provision, parent partnerships, etc. • Prosecution of parents for non-attendance • Individually assigned SEN resources for pupils with rare conditions needing expensive tailored provision (this is usually a top-up to formula funding) • Provision of pupil referral units or education otherwise for a pupil who is no longer registered at an academy http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/b0061399 /academy-funding Accountability • Department for Education • Ofsted • Parents and children • Governors • Norfolk County Council • Partner schools • Unions • Media Why this is right for Heartsease? • Believe that we can carry on doing what we are doing even more effectively • “Freedom to” not “freedom from” • In charge of our own destiny • Opportunity to be ‘smarter’ with our money • Rather jump than be pushed as the Academy debate is not going away • This is the ‘next step’ for us as an outstanding school with a strong local profile Consultation • Next consultation is on Friday 6 January 2012 • Presentation, FAQs and links to further information placed on school website • Telephone and e-mail contact available Timeline • Governors pass a resolution to convert to an Academy as soon as consultation is finished and apply to the DfE for an ‘Academy Order' • Earliest possible conversion date would be 1st September 2012 and would require a very fast turnaround. Further Information • Department for Education • http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies • Anti Academies Alliance • http://www.antiacademies.org.uk/