Agenda item

This report sets out a review of the Council’s Policy on Academies and Free Schools.

The Director of Education Transformation introduced this report to the Panel. She explained that the school landscape in Bath and North East Somerset is changing rapidly and that from the 1 September 2018, 70% of schools will be academies and 79% of children and young people will be taught in academy schools.

She stated that the current Council policy on Academies and Free Schools, established in 2014, no longer reflects the current school landscape and that with a further 10 primary schools expressing a desire to join a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) as soon as it is possible, it is vital that the current policy is reviewed to reflect a new relationship with local schools in the future while making sure the Council meets its statutory duties as set out in education legislation.

She informed the Panel that nine schools (8 primary and 1 secondary) have not yet made a decision to join a MAT.

She said that the Policy Statement has been discussed at Informal Cabinet, Senior Management Team (SMT), with Head Teachers and Chairs of Governors.

Councillor Liz Hardman said that she felt that the Local Authority was abandoning schools that do not want to become academies and that enough of a service was still available to be provided.

She informed them that she had recently read an article from the LGA (Local Government Association) that showed that MATs are not delivering as planned and that maintained schools were improving more than MATs.

She queried the logic of encouraging schools to join a MAT at a time when schools are experiencing huge pressure on their budgets knowing that they will be top sliced to support the pay of chief executives who will be earning more than the Director of Education of B&NES would ever have been paid.

She said that the B&NES School Standards Board has a vast amount of responsibility, but no power and no money.  

Councillor Michelle O’Doherty said that she shared the views of Councillor Hardman and was concerned by the content of the report as she believed she had previously been given assurances that support for schools that do not want to become academies would be retained.

Councillor Paul May said that he agreed with the comments made but the Council has to work within the policy set down by the Government. He added that he would be happy to receive additional recommendations from the Panel.

The Chair stated that the Panel were not being critical of the Director of Education Transformation and that she applauded schools that do not want to convert.

The Director of Education Transformation commented that at the meeting with Head Teachers they proposed that the following bullet point be removed from the statement.

·  Encourage the remaining state maintained schools to join a MAT of their choice at the earliest possible opportunity.

She added that from September 2018 there will be three local Teaching Schools whose remit is to provide high quality professional development for school staff including governance; strengthening school to school support and building capacity within the school system.

She said that the Department for Education (DfE) supports a ‘dual system’ (mix of LA controlled and academy school) and diversity in education provision going forward and reassurance that good and outstanding schools will not be forced to join a MAT.

Kevin Burnett commented that in his experience the majority of Head Teachers were being encouraged to convert and that this was seen as the least worst option to take by many of them. He said that the Local Authority should be able to support those schools that wish to remain maintained and that this message should be sent back to the Government.

Councillor Paul May said that he personally felt that too many MATs existed and that it was important to remember that it is the outcomes for the children that matter the most. He added that he would like the existing MATs to be contacted and that the Council expresses how it wants to interact with them in the future.

Councillor Liz Hardman stated that more accountability must exist to hold academies to account.

The Director of Education Transformation said that she welcomes the Panel’s input into this process and acknowledged the need to develop relationships with our MATs. She gave the Panel a personal guarantee that the Council will continue to support its maintained schools.

Kevin Burnett commented that if the Panel were to accept the new 'B&NES Draft Academies Policy 2018' the 5^th bullet point of the Policy Statement should be replaced with the following wording;

·  Acknowledge the freedom schools have to join a MAT or remain as a maintained school under the Local Authority

Councillor Liz Hardman proposed that the Panel recommends Proposal 2 from within the report and that no changes are made to the current Policy for Academies and Free Schools.

The Panel RESOLVED to recommend;

i)  There are no changes to the current Policy for Academies and Free Schools. The Local Authority maintains a neutral position as the strategic commissioner of education services and champion of all children and young people including the most vulnerable.

ii)  That is acknowledged the freedom schools have to join a MAT or remain as a maintained school under the Local Authority.