Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Education

Forward Plan Ref: 2012/084

Contact: Frances Craven, Deputy Director for Education & Early Intervention Tel: (01865) 815498

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA7).

This paper builds upon the Cabinet paper and decision of 14 February 2012, which outlined the national policy context for Academies and some of the local challenges, including a failure to promote high standards of education and an unplanned drift towards Academy status in the absence of a clear Local Authority policy.

Over the last three to four months considerable work has been undertaken with schools and others to firm up the Council’s position, raise awareness of the issues of conversion and help a significant number of schools to move towards Academy status. 

This paper details a policy statement regarding Academies, key principles and the project approach needed to implement the policy and principles.

A decision is required on agreement of the policy and principles.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)               Note the progress made since its last report in February 2012.

(b)              Approve the Policy in relation to Academies at Annex 1, and in particular the headline position which is:

·                    The County Council wishes to support all schools to become academies.  The Council recognises that this is a process and some schools will be at different stages in taking this step.

·                    The Council wishes to encourage Governing Bodies and the leadership of the school (Headteachers and leadership teams) to consider how they might become an academy as part of a larger group of schools.  This is to ensure that schools are not isolated and are mutually supportive of each other in raising attainment standards.

·                    The Council will ensure that support services for schools continue to be available, whether they are provided in-house or through the commercial market place. We will not seek to retain them in-house unless there is strategic value in doing so, but will work with schools to ensure they have access to services.

Cabinet considered a report seeking approval to a policy statement regarding Academies, key principles and the project approach needed to implement the policy and principles.

Councillor M. Altaf-Khan, Shadow Cabinet Member for Education stated that he had previously expressed his concerns around this issue. He was grateful to the Cabinet Member for Education for being willing to discuss the matter with him. He welcomed the seminar that had been held but commented that there had been insufficient time for questions and that some members would have been interested to hear how multi-Trust academies would work. He added that the commercial market place may be cheap but could be unreliable. There was a dilemma there for schools and his local school was not very clear about how services will move forward. Responding to a comment from Councillor Mallon, Councillor Altaf-Khan stated that services could be better but what was needed was a clear plan if services were not better.

Councillor Melinda Tilley, Cabinet Member for Education, introduced the report referring to the fast moving nature of the process. She stressed that the Government had made it clear that they expect all schools will become academies and it was therefore up to the Council to provide information. This would enable schools and particularly primary schools that were somewhat nervous of the process to make a decision based on knowledge. She was willing to consider holding more seminars if needed.

Responding to a comment from Councillor Hilary Hibbert-Biles, the Cabinet Member for Education confirmed that the Council had always said it would protect rural schools and in this context the best way to ensure that was through collaborative Trusts.

RESOLVED:                        to:

(a)               note the progress made since its last report in February 2012.

(b)               approve the Policy in relation to Academies at Annex 1, and in particular the headline position which is:

·                    The County Council wishes to support all schools to become academies.  The Council recognises that this is a process and some schools will be at different stages in taking this step.

·                    The Council wishes to encourage Governing Bodies and the leadership of the school (Headteachers and leadership teams) to consider how they might become an academy as part of a larger group of schools.  This is to ensure that schools are not isolated and are mutually supportive of each other in raising attainment standards.

·                    The Council will ensure that support services for schools continue to be available, whether they are provided in-house or through the commercial market place. We will not seek to retain them in-house unless there is strategic value in doing so, but will work with schools to ensure they have access to services.