Campaign 4 new school

We had our first meeting of Campaign4newschool, Wednesday 14^th May, to discuss the new Shene Academy.

I include a précis of the e-mail sent to Fred Groom, CEO of EduTrust, raising the issues and concerns of the parents who attended the meeting.

Hi Fred

 Our meeting was clear, focussed, and began to raise the issues and concerns that, I'm certain, Edutrust are used to answering about Academies.

Our main concerns centre on:

1.            Closure

2.            Leadership

3.            Specialism

4.            New Build

5.            Money

People seem neither anti-academy nor pro-academy. They just want a long lasting model that works - a school that offers their children a safe and inspiring education.

A huge concern is if the school is to open in Sept 2009 as an Academy with the same staff and students what would be the difference from the present situation?

Closure is the big issue for the parents.

What needs to be shown is clear, distinctive and quantifiable change.

Clare wondered if there was a way that years 7 & 8 could be kept separate from the rest of the school - making the 'breaking-in' process far gentler.

This led to a discussion about The Small Schools System, which has been successful in New York, and I believe such an Academy is being built in Brixton.

Would Edutrust consider opening such a model at Shene? – Four smaller sized schools on one site each with a head teacher capable of knowing all his/her students.

Size was a big issue at the meeting. People wanted to know about class sizes.

In addition, there is talk that the school will be reduced to 800 pupils. Does that include the Primary School and The Sixth Form or is it the main body of the Secondary School?

Another question asked was, 'Will the building of the Primary School take away funds from The Secondary School?'

And is the money ring fenced?  One academy, we have been told, was promised 24 million and then The Government turned round and gave them only 13 million at the last moment – can guarantees be put in place to insure that monies promised will be received?

Who will look after the maintenance and upkeep of the building?

Others wanted to know what Edutrust's record of accomplishment was.

Also, it was pointed out that your website says that you work mainly in Inner city areas.

Parents also wanted to know if you have a selection policy. Will entrance be banded? Do you have to follow the school curriculum?

Will Edutrust decide the Specialisms of the school in consultation with the local community?

Other questions raised were:

What is the balance of power between you and the LEA? Who decides over appointments, curriculum, Specialisms and appeals?

What are you going to spend the money on?

Will there be a dedicated special needs facility on the site?

There is a growing desire to know a date for a public meeting – sooner rather than later.

Local Parents are worried it's a done deal and they will have little influence on the outcome. I want to show that we can. I do not want to be an apologist for Edutrust but I want to be a positive influence in developing our new school.

Paul 

Academies – Points for Discussion

What other options other than an Academy are the local authority looking into?

The Council has considered federations and the use of the power we have to disband the governing body and replace it with an Independent Education Board.  Some Governing Bodies have also considered Trust Status.

Will the Local Authority consider being a co-sponsor in the academy? What would that mean financially for the Local Authority?

The Local Authority is considering being a co-sponsor.  This has been discussed with the DCSF on a number of occasions and with some potential sponsors.  It has been modelled in different Local Authorities across the country.  The cost per Academy is £500,000, which buys a little increased partnership power on the Board and in maintaining a ‘family’ of Richmond Schools.  Notwithstanding, there will be some main sponsors who may prefer not to enter into such an arrangement.  This is then a question of negotiation.

If the Academy is accepted….

Will you automatically be accepted if you live in the current catchment area?

It is anticipated that the Local Authority would negotiate the local admissions criteria.  This would normally mean that children living nearest the school would have priority, in line with the Greenwich judgement that means that we cannot reserve places for in-borough children .  By law, each Academy would have to give priority to Children Looked After and Children with a statement of SEN before all other criteria are considered.

However, in Richmond upon Thames we use a ‘link’ school system not one based on Catchment area.  We are not yet certain whether this will continue within Academy admissions.  This is a point for discussion and clarification.

Will the catchment area remain the same as it is now?

There is no catchment area as such.  The size of the area from which pupils are drawn depends on the area from which they apply and the number who apply.  If more local children apply to the school/Academy, then fewer children who live a greater distance from the school/Academy are able to gain a place.  It is a question of levels of demand within close proximity to the school/Academy.

What procedures will be put in place to ensure that pupils with special educational needs are admitted to the Academy on a fair basis?

We anticipate the current procedures will apply whereby children with a statement of SEN express a preference for a school.  This is considered by the Governing Body and the Local Authority SEN Panel.  This will be a key point of negotiation with the potential sponsors of Academies.

Is a banding admissions process envisaged for the school and if so why?

There are no plans for selection through ‘banding’ at this point in time.

Do you envisage that the Academy will be a specialist school and what will that specialism be?

Academies have two specialisms determined in discussion with the school and the sponsor.  The DCSF expect at least one of these specialisms to be a ‘hard’ or academic specialism. These include, maths, science and modern foreign languages for example.

Will children have to attend another school while a new Academy is being built?

The normal procedure is that the school is designated as an Academy in the current premises.  The capital programme is then managed by the Academy Board to deliver the improvements.

It would not be feasible to move children to a different school.

Will the school be closed down while work begins on the new academy?

The school will develop with a new ethos through the leadership and governance of the Academy Board.  It would not be logistically possible to close the school to students.  We are currently carrying out a number of rebuilding projects on our school, e.g. Shene School and Hampton Community College both have projects nearing completion, and they were both carried out while the children continue their education in other parts of the school.

Will parent representatives be included on the governing body?  If not, how will parents’ views be represented?

The Academy Boards of Governors will ensure they create a real partnership with parents.  As in all schools it is difficult for parent governors to seek to represent the views of all parents.  The expectation is that parents will be key partners and their views will be sought prior to the opening of the Academy.

The arrangements for parent involvement and representation on the Board of Governors will be a key part of this consultation with the sponsors and discussion with the Local Authority in setting the ethos of the school.

Will the sponsors have a majority on the governing body?

Will the Academy have an anti-bullying policy?

Yes.  The sponsors will form the Governing Body. Where co-sponsors exist, they are also represented. 

The Academy will have a range of policies including an anti-bullying policy.  Academies are part of the OfSTED inspection mechanism where the impact of such policies is judged and reported.

How will parent’s and stakeholders’ views be taken into account when a decision is made about an Academy?

The process by which this happens may be slightly different for each school.

At the initial stages the headteacher/Principal and governors, including parent governors are consulted and briefed on the proposals.

The school staff are also part of these initial discussions to tease out the possible implications.  Primary headteachers are also involved at an early stage.  Chairs of governors are briefed and consulted through the Chairs’ Forum.

The Cabinet receives Papers on the proposals and progress, so that this is open to public scrutiny.  All elected members are party to debate in the Council Chamber and may request briefings on the issue.  Papers for Overview and Scrutiny will provide challenge to the process as it progresses.

When potential sponsors are identified for each school, they take this forward with support from the DCSF, in partnership with the Local Authority.

This could be developed through stakeholder events at the school and with local primary schools.  Consultation through questionnaires and discussions with local interest groups, with parent governors and parent associations, could also be included. The detail of the consultation strategy will be set to match the profile and context of each of the 3 potential Academies.

The Local Authority is developing a communication strategy for our residents and the wider school community.