Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Children, Education & Families

Forward Plan Ref: 2015/065

Contact: Allyson Milward, Academies Manager Tel: (01865) 816447

Report by Director for Children’s Services (CA13).

The Council has a strong track record of supporting schools to become academies: by December four out of five secondary schools and over a quarter of primary schools will have converted. To avoid the risks associated with fragmentation and isolation, particularly of small rural primary schools, it is proposed that the Council adopt a more assertive policy of actively encouraging the incorporation of the remaining maintained schools into sustainable formal collaborative groupings, primarily through the Multi Academy Trust model but also through the extension of the 'collaborative company' model and the pooling of more resources and responsibilities."

The following paper sets out the current position in the County and strategic implications for the programme following the publication of a new programme of legislative change by the new Government. 

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to

(a)            Adopt the principles set out at paragraph 24 of the ‘Strategic Implications for Academies Programme’ section above. 

(b)            Adopt a more assertive policy in identifying appropriate sponsors for schools required to convert to academy status. 

(c)            Promote appropriate groupings to form new Multi Academy Trusts and encourage the growth of existing Multi Academy Trusts based in the county. 

(d)            Further develop and promote the collaborative company model, both to incorporate more schools in these and to extend the scope of their pooling of resources and responsibility and

(e)            Use collaborative companies as a 'stepping stone' to the formation of Multi Academy Trusts.   

Recommendations agreed.

Cabinet had before them a report setting out the current position in the County and strategic implications for the academies programme following the publication of a new programme of legislative change by the new Government.

Councillor Gill Sanders, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children, Education & Families was supportive of encouraging collaborative groupings if schools were being forced to change. However she commented that the report was rather loosely worded and sought assurance that the Council would respect the right of schools to remain as maintained and to consider their own future. Councillor Tilley replied that it was about responding to the views of the PM who expects all schools to convert. The County was willing to discuss with any school to find the right solution for that school. She added that the Council had no powers to force any change.

RESOLVED:           to

(a)            Adopt the principles set out at paragraph 24 of the ‘Strategic Implications for Academies Programme’ section above.

(b)            Adopt a more assertive policy in identifying appropriate sponsors for schools required to convert to academy status.

(c)            Promote appropriate groupings to form new Multi Academy Trusts and encourage the growth of existing Multi Academy Trusts based in the county.

(d)            Further develop and promote the collaborative company model, both to incorporate more schools in these and to extend the scope of their pooling of resources and responsibility and

(e)             Use collaborative companies as a 'stepping stone' to the formation of Multi Academy Trusts.