Collaboration, Conversion, Coercion & Confusion

1. Collaboration, Conversion, Coercion & Confusion BeccyEarnshaw SCHOOLS NorthEast The future of our region is in schools

2. Unique – no other region has a network • Established 2007 • Board 28 Head Teachers all sectors & phases • Patron Lord Puttnam • Small team • Link schools to region’s economic & social development • Common purpose and collaboration • Inclusive and independent Background

3. Provide strategic voice + influence • Focus on specific regional issues • Create channel to facilitate innovation, large scale projects and additional funding • Facilitate sharing intelligence & experiences • Connect you to each other and external organisations for mutual support What we do

4. Your network: driven by your needs and interests

7. International comparators - OECD • Autonomy and accountability • Competition/collaboration • Raise standards .. ‘rigour’ • Improve teacher quality • Reduce bureaucracy • Behaviour and attendance • Improve social mobility • More local/less local?? • Increase efficiency – QUANGO cull The changing educational landscape: drivers

8. Confusion

10. Question 1 Can we do nothing?

11. Question 2 Which way should we go?

12. Answer… Depends on where you want to be

13. Consider How do we do more with less?

14. Consider How do we accelerate improvements in our schools?

15. Consider How do we protect and develop what we value?

16. Consider How do we become the drivers not the driven?

17. Consider How do we make the most of our assets and expertise?

18. Consider How do we meet the needs of our students now and in the future?

19. Conversion

21. What is an academy? • Old style (sponsored) • Converter • New sponsored • = Got piles of cash! • = ‘Performing well’ – 1513 schools nationally • = Going with sponsor – Chain/high performing school Academies……’the only show in town’

22. How do they differ from LA schools • Are run by a Charitable (Academy) Trust • Have control over land and assets and is also an admissions authority • Outside of LA, funded directly by DfE • Do not have to abide by the School Teachers’ Pay + conditions • Freedom on curriculum • Control over budget (suppliers etc.) • Change terms & school days • Money previously spent by LA into school (LASCEG) Academies

23. What stays the same.. • Bound by the Schools Admission Code and the same exclusions guidance • Are all ability (unless they are not!) • Are inspected by Ofsted • Must offer a broad and balanced curriculum (Academies without a religious character will teach the locally agreed syllabus for RE) • Must follow the special educational needs (SEN) Code of Practice Academies…

24. All schools can become Academies. Some schools must become Academies. ‘performing well’ is determined by: Ofsted rating; exam results; comparison to similar schools Can convert to Academy status Schools that are ‘performing well’ Schools that are not ‘performing well’ but are above ‘the floor’ Can convert in a chain with a strong school Schools are below ‘the floor’ if both exam results and pupil progression is below a certain level. Schools that are below the ‘floor’ Can convert in a Multi-Academy Trust (chain) with a strong school Worst performing schools Continue to be tackled through Sponsored approach

25. …is like leaving home, you have more freedom but you also have to look after yourself… • Legal costs • Building maintenance • School improvement • Staff costs Converting to an academy… LA does retain some funding for services that it has to continue to provide incl: Some SEN related provision, PRUs, prosecution of parents for non attendance

26. Closure threat Money Why convert? Autonomy Staffing Support another school Curriculum Why not Get support

27. Coercion

29. Michael Gove – today • “We are accelerating the academies programme as fast as we can - taking chronically under-performing schools out of the hands of the bureaucracies which have failed them, either removing their leadership or providing their leaders with new support, and placing the schools in the hands of those with a track record of educational success.”

30. ‘Forced academies’ • A primary school will be below the floor if fewer than 60% of pupils achieve the basics standard of level 4 in both English and maths – and fewer pupils than average make the expected levels of progress between Key Stage 1 (KS1) and KS2. • Schools in Ofsted Categories .. 2x Satisfactory from September • “we will seek sponsors for every primary school in the country which is in Special Measures or the Ofsted category Notice to Improve” • The DfE says there are around 1,400 primary schools below the primary floor standard, based on the 2010 results. • Continual process…

31. Civil Servants given this task as a priority in Spring 2011 • 200 primary schools below all three criteria for floor standards (as they stand today) for five years or more forced to seek sponsored academy status • 220 of most ‘chronic under-performing primary schools have agreements in place to become sponsored academies • Further list of schools below all three floor target criteria for two or three out of the last four years in targeted areas What we know:

32. Oppose – ‘enemies of promise’ and ‘happy with failure’ • Your choice? Two options for ‘forced academies’: • Successful local school (in Jan only 18 of the 1194 converter academies are sponsoring other academies) • Academy chain/sponsor "urgent priority" to identify new sponsors for these schools • Department aim for a ‘local solution’ • Opposition to national chains - some schools in the region have already chosen national chain route. There are local chains of schools emerging. • DfEhas veto • More choices for next tier schools- may be able to plead mitigation • DfE will have a watching brief and encourage partnerships What we know: options

33. No set formula – be creative! • Shortage of sponsors – new fund announced • Successful schools not stepping forward to sponsor • Chains don’t travel well and there is a limit to their effectiveness in expansion Issues

34. The Squeezed Middle

36. The squeezed middle • Diminishing services • Paying more for less • Where’s your support coming from?

37. Collaboration

39. ‘The era of the stand alone primary school is coming to an end' Russell Hobby NAHT

40. Horses for courses Autonomy versus ability to act Minimal disruption v transformation All together v as and when Choice v fear

41. Loose to tight spectrum

42. Local clusters Models in action School companies ‘Challenge partnerships’ Collaborative trusts Federations – hard/soft Multi Academy Trusts Chains

43. Corporate Governance • School Improvement – support + challenge/identification/brokerage/match making • Quality assurance – peer review • Shared support services/joint purchasing • Curriculum development • Staff development – coaching/peer 2 peer/communities of practice/hot housing • Leadership development Areas for collaborations

44. Areas for collaborations • Deployment of staff • Sharing expertise/resources • Identify common development areas • Develop evidence base • Joint projects + initiatives (bids) • Specialist services • External relations – business etc. • Whatever else the members want/need

45. Message