Anyone else going through the process of becoming an Academy?

[PatTheHammer]

Hi folks,

The secondary school I teach at has just started the consultation process to become an academy. They have done the research and the governors have decided to take this route but need to consult staff and parents before they begin the legal process.
So tonight was the staff consultation, we have been given a fair amount of information from our head and this was a meeting to outline the main process and adress any concerns staff may have.

To be fair it was more of a lecture than a consultation and felt like they were saying 'basically we've got no option and the money is too good to turn down'.
There seemed to be a fair amount of 'what ifs' floating around so I just wondered if anyone else was going through the process or has recntly become an academy (new style not old style)?

If you have, can you see anything that may drastically change or adversely affects either your working conditions or impacts on the pupils?
Or is it wholly as positive as they are trying to sell it to us?
Or if you are a parent, what changes good or bad have you noticed?

For the record we are a 'Good with Outstanding features' school in a rural LEA where 20 secondary schools are known to be starting the application, including two of our neighbouring schools.

DD (and of today DS) school is looking into conversion.

The potential pitfalls - look at what is happening to Oasis Mayfield : if it goes pear shaped, who picks up the pieces once you are non LEA
Also this www.guardian.co.uk/education/2011/mar/01/head-arrested-in-fraud-case

As a former governor, my questions related to Insurance and the political wind changing.

I suspect that a good SMT will make life better for the staff rather than worse.
Becoming and Academy will reduce the effects of the short term cuts and extract all of you from LEA pay freezes
under TUPE, they cannot change any of your terms and conditions without consultation - pension, holiday, Baker days etc

TBH if you were a happy school before, you will be a happier school.
If you were unhappy, guess what.

Have you looked on the TES forums in the SMT sections discussing how to sell the idea ?!?

we became an academy today (outstanding comp) - as talking peace said - we have a great slt so no worries, and it seeemed inevitable.

Thanks guys, yes we have a good strong SMT and one thing they did outline today is they would like more of a staff voice on the governing body. It is very much a happy, forward looking school but it is totally this 'inevitable' thing that seems to be making me a bit nervous.

The TUPE was explained to us today. There were a few questions from older staff relating to what happened to pay and conditions in the FE sector some years ago but I was quite satisfied with what our head said about this.

Thanks Talkinpeace, will look at the link.

Pat
That link was in an LEA school.
This is where it has gone wrong
www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8874535.MP_demands_academy_talk_over_scores/

FE sector ; yes, that was pre TUPE.
There are issues with closing pension schemes to new entrants, but that will not affect existing staff.
Exclusion powers are strengthened for academies which can be useful.

We had a letter home on Friday explaining our children's school would be applying to become an academy. We are in Somerset.

We really love the school, it has really good leadership and the teaching and organisation seems really well thought out. What I am concerned about is what if the present head leaves... I would hope that there won't be any huge changes for the school and am frightened I may well lose my voice as a parent.

After recently being in another school who is also applying for academy status I have to say I feel the success of this is very much governed by the leadership. This particular head is consumed by his level 1 ofsted and totally living in cloud cukoo land, unable to relate to normal day-to-day...beyond explanations due to his level 1.

Are the changes to be seen more for the benefits of the staff?

I don't think there will be any benefits for the staff. There is every reason to suspect that somewhere along the line their terms and conditions will be changed. This thread has some more exploration of the subject - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/1173853-your-thoughts-on-the-whole-academy-thing

My local school has just applied, and its (limited) consultation was entirely led by the senior management team, rather than the governors who are officially the ones "applying". Like your own, it seems to be driven by a few characters. I love our school too, but it is quite easy for a senior team to take up other jobs and the school quickly be in a quite different place with regards to priorities/leadership.

Has your school done any consultation with parents or community before it has told you it is applying, JuicyLucy?

thanks for the link... I agree with you - its when the current good members leave that my concern really kicks in.

I would hope though that the head is leading it so he will stay on to see it through properly and stick by it. The meeting is next week (with the parents). This seems to have come out-of-the-blue.
I am really relieved we aren't at the other school!!

I work in a secondary school and I started at the beginning of their second year as an academy. This is now their third year of being an academy and we are facing 21 member of staff being made forcibly redundant. This may possibly include all SEN TA's (my role) being redistributed through subject departments rather than working with their statemented students across the curriculum.

The Head is rarely present (I don't blame them, the workload is incredible) so the students run rings around 2 or 3 Vice Principals, 5 SLT members, each Head of Year etc, etc, etc.

3 members of staff have been seriously hurt by pupils this academic year.

This isn't the school I work at but it is worth bearing in mind:
Claremont School

Although this is obviously heavily biased (only biased as the lecture you had today) it is still worth a read if you can separate the facts from hyperbole.
Anti-Academies