Agenda item

10.15

Allyson Milward, Academies Manager will attend to present the Annual Report for Academies.

During 2016, the Council had continued to implement its policy on academies through the Academies Programme as part of its overarching Education Strategy.  There had been considerable change in the legislative framework and national education policy agenda and as a result the Council updated its policy position in October 2015.  The Scrutiny Committee had a report before them which identified and analysed trends in this programme during 2016 and indicated changes from those noted in 2015.

Allyson Milward in introducing the report drew the committee’s attention to the following conclusions from the year:

·           All schools that converted to academy status in 2016 did so as members of groups;

·           The number of schools converting to academy status was significantly lower.  The increase in applications seen later in 2016 was seen mainly as a reaction to the national education policy and perceived position of the Council;

·           Under performing schools had been identified, early support was put in place and schools have completed conversions as sponsored academies.  The Council sought to be proactive with Governing Bodies in promoting suitable sponsors to the RSC;

·           New academies and free schools continued to be set up in the county in response to demographic need and parental demand.  Procedures were in place to set up new academies as required by the county or to engage in positive dialogue with sponsors applying to open schools in the area through DfE bidding annual processes;

·           Resources would continue to be required to manage this process;

·           Over half the pupils in publicly funded education in Oxfordshire are taught in academies;

·           The value for money and availability of Council services for buyback by maintained schools may reduce providing a driver for their consideration of converting to academy status;

·           Additional powers of the RSC through legislation will impact on the future role of the Council and services to be provided;

·           To achieve the above programme considerably more resources may be required in the short term for the Council to comply with its obligations in respect of converting academies;

·            The creation of a new Cabinet Member for Education and aspiration to support maintained schools better and also to develop a good partnership approach to working with maintained schools and academies may impact on conversion trends in 2017. 

The Committee expressed concern about small rural schools not being attracted to MAT’s due to financial restictions.  In response Ms Milward reported that some MATs were interested in small schools and that it was not solely about money.  Much of the problem lay with the amount of time it took small resource strapped schools to dedicate to it.

The Chairman reported that Kent had had a very similar situation and had been in discussions with the DfE about creating a local Authority MAT.  Ms Milward reported that local authorities could only have a 20% interest in the company, but that Kent were very determined to achieve it.  Officers were working on a survey of the remaining maintained schools to see it there was any appetite for this.

Members of the Committee expressed concerns over misconceptions and perceptions that Oxfordshire County Council wanted all schools to become academies when if fact this was up to the Governing Body of the school.   

The Director for Children’s Services, Lucy Butler added that they wanted to be supportive and had been changing their message to schools recently, but were still awaiting a paper on the role of local authorities to see if it was fact that there will be funding stripped away. 

The Committee thanked Mrs Milward for her informative report.