When George Osborne presented his Budget on Wednesday 16 March 2016, he announced his plan for all schools in England to become academies by 2022. The only thing that really surprised me about this was that anyone was surprised!
Social media is in uproar. Many are fearing that they are about to be ‘taken over’ and turned into something else. Figures about failing schools are being thrown about and whether academies are any better at turning them around.
Unfortunately, the focus in a lot of the dialogue is misplaced and the fear-mongering is preventing schools from seeing the situation clearly. The fact of the matter is that most schools are not ‘failing schools’. They are good. Some are outstanding. These are the schools who should accept this announcement as an opportunity to develop.
It is imperative that boards of governors now look at the situation and develop a strategy that will work for their school – a solution that will benefit their pupils. That solution will not be the same for every school. Luckily for schools, there is a huge amount of flexibility in the way that academies or multi academy trusts (‘MAT’) are organised. This means that the governing body can select the approach it wants.
What is an academy?
An academy is simply a state-funded independent school which is removed from local authority control.
Legally, academies are charitable companies limited by guarantee. This means that they must be registered as a company with Companies House and governance undertaken in the same way as any other company. They are also exempt charities and required to comply with charities law which place obligations on the academy particularly around profit-making.
Academies receive their funding directly from the Education Funding Agency (‘EFA’), the Department for Education agency specifically tasked with funding and compliance. Funding is calculated on a per-pupil basis in the same way as maintained schools. In any event, the move to a national funding formula should further reduce inconsistencies between schools.
Freedoms
Much is made of the greater freedoms afforded to academies. They can set their own pay and conditions for staff and have greater flexibility in relation to the delivery of the curriculum. In reality, most academies do not stray far from the norms set by the maintained sector. Secondary schools still need to ensure that their pupils are ready for external examinations by which the schools are currently measured. And, presumably, there will continue to be some form of standardised testing at primary level which pupils will need to pass. To a certain extent this removes the amount of flexibility that a school has in reality.
As far as staff pay is concerned, most academies are continuing to recognise the nationally agreed pay and conditions documents. They understand the importance of agreements made with the unions. The people running academies recognise that staff are their major asset and they need to keep them happy.
There is, however, also an increased freedom in how budgets are utilised. For a school joining a MAT this poses a risk. The individual school legally becomes part of that larger entity which will have ultimate say in how the money is spent to best benefit pupils. An individual school may find that it no longer has any say in how funding is used.
Embrace the opportunity
Although Mr Osborne expects all schools to be academies, those with solid ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ gradings should not rush to convert. Take your time, research your options and then make a considered choice.
Chose your bedfellows well. Joining a MAT is a big step and it is hard to get out once you are in. Exit from a MAT may involve a dip in standards and the choice about where your school goes taken away from you.
However, there are lots of exciting opportunities for collaboration on a more formal basis. Consider a federation to test the water – ‘living together’ for a while before embarking on ‘marriage’.
But make sure that you get your school community and stakeholders involved in a discourse. A lot of the social media hype is fuelled by fear. Fear of change; fear of the unknown. Get them involved and aware of the plans afoot – use the opportunity for consultation.
But most of all – plan your escape route.
Look at what other schools have done but make sure that the choice is personal and unique to your school and will positively impact on your pupils. If you are looking at a chain or MAT, make sure that it is adding value.
And once you know your options and have made your choice, agree a strategy and stick to it.
Academisation might be the end of schooling as we have known it, but it could just be the start of an exciting new era. Make sure you take that power into your own hands!
katiecpd - The 'business' of schools 