Q. Will becoming an academy help us to raise standards?
A. There is no evidence that converting to academy status will raise standards, particularly in schools that have already been judged ?outstanding? by Ofsted. Most governors know that high standards in their schools are the result of excellent teaching to motivated pupils. No-one has been able to explain how changes in school structures make a difference to that. Government claims about the success of existing academies are highly controversial.
Q. Isn?t it a good thing that my school might get more freedom from local authority control?
A. Since the introduction of local management in the nineties, schools have managed themselves. If you are a governor of a foundation or voluntary aided school, you already are the employer of staff and have almost complete control. But by opting out of local authority ?control?, academies also opt out of democratic accountability at local level and ?opt in? to central government control through a funding agreement.
Freedom from local authority control also means freedom from local authority support. You might be able to buy into their services, but if too many of your neighbours become academies the local authority might not be able to afford to maintain them. You would have to get insurance at commercial rates for the costs of redundancy and serious structural problems, and staff long-term absence or maternity leave. You would need to find money for pupils who need school transport or support for their behaviour, or for legal advice and very different accountancy and audit requirements.
The governing body would need, perhaps by buying in, expertise in procuring and managing a range of services currently provided by the authority. There would be no backstop, unless, like many existing academies, you contract to a private company or trust that charges a top-slice for services, in which case you have exchanged ?local authority control? for control by a private company. The National Governors? Association (NGA) suggests that governors consult their authority about the cost of these services.
Whilst some savings could be made initially there is no guarantee that the costs of externally provided services will not increase exponentially. Experience of school meals and health service outsourcing has shown that whilst initially costs may have been lower once tied into a contract
costs soon escalated. Academy staff will need to spend time tendering and monitoring external providers.
Q. Will academy status give my school extra funding?
A. According to the Department for Education (DfE) website, the government?s policy is: ?Academies are funded on a like-for-like basis with LA-maintained schools.?
This means:
? Taking into account additional resources for services currently provided by your authority, if you are better off, that would be against government policy and would be due to inaccurate calculations, which presumably could be corrected later.
? If many schools become academies, the government might have to revise the amount of financial support it can give.
? If funding for all schools is reduced from April 2011, you would share the pain.
You would receive £25,000 for the conversion process, but the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust advises that legal fees alone could amount to £50,000.
Q. Are the accounting arrangements for academies different to schools?
Schools need to produce accounts that comply with the Companies Act. The accounts are completely different from CFR returns and need to follow charities and company law requirements. The accounts are normally for an accounting period ending at 31 August. They can be completed by the school bursar but the school may need to buy in expertise if there is insufficient experience of doing such accounts. The software requirements really depend on the volume of transactions, and professional advice should be sought. Academies? accounts have to be audited by an external auditor appointed and paid for by the academy; this takes place in autumn each year.
Q. My school will be able to set our own pay and conditions. Doesn?t this mean that we will be better able to attract top staff to the school by offering very competitive salaries?
A. Using what money (see above)? National pay scales are very flexible and schools have a great deal of flexibility in determining the salary level of staff by using TLR payments or by creating posts on the excellent teacher, advanced skills teacher or leadership pay spines. In addition, where schools are experiencing difficulty in attracting or retaining staff, recruitment and retention allowances can be awarded.
Academies are required to offer membership of either the Teachers? Pension Scheme or Local Government Pension Scheme to eligible staff.
Q. If we become an academy, do we have to take responsibility for pension arrangements of staff instead of the LA?
Teachers working in an academy are eligible to join the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), just as if they were employed in a local authority maintained school. Staff transferring from a maintained predecessor would simply continue their membership of the Scheme. As the employer, the academy would be responsible for remitting contributions to the TPS and for all other administrative responsibilities that fall to employers who employ teachers who are subject to the teachers' pensions regulations. Teachers' Pensions, whose contact details can be found at the bottom of this page, administer the Scheme on behalf of the Department and will provide you with full information about the role and responsibility of employers in relation to Scheme administration.
Support staff are eligible to be members of the Local Government Pension Scheme and arrangements will need to be made within the academy to administer these arrangements.
Q. Will becoming an academy mean we are no longer inspected by Ofsted?
A. All ?outstanding? schools will no longer be subject to Ofsted inspections. If governors want some external validation of the school?s self-evaluation, you will have to pay for it.
However, the Secretary of State will continue to monitor the performance of the academy and could, at any time, order an inspection.
Q. What about other schools locally?
A. Of course governors will be concerned about the pros and cons of all this in their own school. But your decision will impact on other schools locally and across the authority. What is the morality of taking a slice of the authority?s budget? If too many schools become academies, the authority will be unable to offer its services to any of its schools. The average outstanding school has fewer pupils with SEN than schools around it, but perhaps you have a duty to all such children within your area? And is it right for the authority to lose its duty to monitor how your admissions policy is working? There are lots of ethical issues here as well as self-interest.
Q. Do we have to consult with anyone before we decide to become an academy?
A. Government policy is: ?We expect all schools to discuss this intention with students, parents and the local community to ensure they understand the change proposed.? The NGA ?strongly recommend that governing body carry out a formal consultation process with parents, students, staff and local partners?. The NGA?s Q&A document contains
helpful suggestions of the information that parents, staff, pupils and local partners might need in order to make informed decisions. It also suggests that the governing body should enable supporters and opponents of academy status to circulate relevant materials to other consultees.
Q. So should my school seek to become an academy?
A. The risks associated with becoming an academy far outweigh any potential benefits. The NGA?s Q&A document contains a range of important information and practical issues to consider before converting to academy status.
Q. As a primary school are there additional considerations?
A. primary schools are usually smaller than secondary schools and so you need to consider whether the staff have the necessary skills and time to devote to the complexities of operating without local authority support. It may be necessary for the school to employ additional support staff ? for example a bursar or business manager ? to fulfil the additional responsibilities. Consideration must be given as to what effect this will have on any additional funding given to the school.
Q. Should our governing body take a decision now?
A. There is no compulsion for schools to convert to academy status so there is no need to do anything. As the decision to become an academy is a major change in the school?s status, and once taken cannot be changed. Governing bodies should take time to consider all the issues, to find all relevant information and to consult with all who will be affected, before making the decision. It is possible for the Academy or the Secretary of State end the academy agreement by giving seven years notice but this does not return the school to local authority control.
about it - am all for them having independence - they are a very good school and I trust them to do right by the children where it concerns the teaching. 