ACADEMIES UPDATE: PRESENTATION TO HEADS AND CHAIRS

1. ACADEMIES UPDATE: PRESENTATION TO HEADS AND CHAIRS GUILDFORD DIOCESAN EDUCATION DEPARTMENT APRIL 2012

2. ACADEMIES: THE NATIONAL PICTURE • As at 1 March 2012, there were 1635 open academies of which 1298 are convertors • Around 50% of secondaries have converted • 126 CoE primaries and 66 CoEsecondaries have applied to convert • Government ministers committed to academy programme; they point to research which shows that standards in academies are rising faster than in other categories of school

3. ACADEMIES: THE LOCAL PICTURE • 22 academies in Surrey, 18 secondary and 4 primary • Most schools continuing to buy services from Babcock on a traded basis • Most schools choosing to remain active members of local schools networks • Hants - 20 secondary, I special and 4 primary converted; 3 primaries and 7 secondaries in course of conversion • In Royal Borough of Kingston, 8 out of 10 secondaries have converted with further 2 in progress + 1 primary

4. RECENT RESEARCH MARCH 2012 Reform Think Tank/Schools Network research amongst academies showed: • Biggest motivation for conversion has been financial advantage followed by wish for greater freedoms • Process one of ‘evolution not revolution’; new academies have not typically made significant changes to curriculum/school day/teachers’ terms and conditions • Reluctance amongst heads to use freedoms against background of government constraints – league tables, EBacc and OFSTED requirements

5. EMERGING PICTURE ..... • Government ministers actively pursuing academies programme – it is here to stay • DfE working to increase academy conversions amongst primaries and schools in an OFSTED category – recent conference with CoE dioceses • DfE working directly with LAs/dioceses in individual schools where results consistently below floor targets to broker an ‘academy solution’ • At a local level, the ‘mixed economy’ amongst schools does not seem significantly to have disturbed local networks and collaborative partnerships; confederations still an important forum for joint working • Since most Surrey academies still trading with Babcock, no immediate concerns about position of LA

6. DIOCESAN RESPONSE .... • Established Guildford Diocese Education Trust – an umbrella trust and corporate member of single academy trusts • Building up consultant network to extend school improvement capacity • New trading company • Discussions with DfE’s ‘sponsor broker’ as part of Diocese’s application to become an academy sponsor • Considering whether the DBE should move from its current ‘neutral’ response to academies

7. The School… …does not wish tobecome an academy (hence retains current VA/VC status) …is at least satisfactory and wishes to become an academy …is “low performing” and may be subject to an AcademyOrder. It could become a single Academy trust (with GDET as corporate member) Wants to continue to work alone Diocese to become academy sponsor Wants to work in partnership with others It could join a multiacademy trust (including GDET as corporate member) Sponsored conversion,diocese as sole sponsor It could be a single academy but linked to others throughlocal collaborative partnerships (including diocesan umbrella trust) Diocese is not sponsor approved Sponsored conversion,diocese as co-sponsor Academy Conversion?

8. Next steps ... • Diocesan education department planning series of training and discussion sessions around the Diocese for heads and governors of local church schools to talk about succession planning and school organisation (including academies) issues – second half of summer term and first half of autumn term • Governing bodies should continue to keep pros and cons of academy conversion under review particularly against background of new OFSTED framework