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Evidence submitted by the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust (SSAT) to the House of Commons Select Committee on Education & Skills Prior to the Discussion on Monday 12 December 2005 at 16.45 on Trust Schools
1. Statement by Sir Cyril Taylor 2. People who will give evidence:
2.1. Sir Cyril Taylor GBE, Chair of the SSAT 2.2. Elizabeth Reid, Chief Executive of the SSAT 2.3. Dr Elizabeth Sidwell, CEO Haberdashers' Aske's Federation, two linked academies in Lewisham 2.4. Deborah Knight, Haberdashers' Company 2.4.1. The Haberdashers is a London livery company which operates ten schools including two city academies and a state boarding school. 2.5. Dr Melvyn Kershaw, Principal of the Haybridge High School & Sixth Form, Worcestershire 2.6. Tony Homer, Chair of Governors of the Haybridge High School & Sixth Form, Worcestershire 2.7. Sue Fowler, GKN sponsor of Haybridge High School & Sixth Form 2.7.1. This school in Worcestershire is currently a community school and would like to establish a trust with neighbouring schools including the local special needs school.
3. A brief for sponsors and schools on the academies initiative, and a brief on the specialist schools initiative. See attachments 5 & 6.
4. Briefing note on trust schools. See attachment 7.
1. Statement on the Proposed Trust Schools by Sir Cyril Taylor
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is a non-profit English educational cooperative registered charity founded in 1987 which serves the needs of the 2,400 specialist schools and academies.
It is funded by fees from affiliated schools as well as grants from the Department for Education & Skills. It has a staff of 200 people and an annual income of £35 million. It raises about £8 million a year in sponsorship for schools.
The Trust has already encouraged a large number of its schools to work together in locally based cooperative and collaborative arrangements.
Examples of this include the below:
Ninestiles Federation in Birmingham led by Sir Dexter Hutt. This is a collaboration of Ninestiles Technology College and two previously underperforming schools Waverley and International. All three schools are now performing well.
TrowbridgeThis is an informal collaboration of three Dorset schools: John of Gaunt School; Clarendon School; and St Augustine's Catholic College, who run a joint sixth form, collaborate on measures to protect pupils being bullied and to take action on pupils with behavioural problems. See attachments 1 & 2.
South East Maidstone Federation, KentThis is a hard-edged federation of three former secondary modern schools designed to raise standards of achievement. The initiative has been successful in raising standards. See attachment 3.
Grantham, LincolnshireThis is a collaboration between 4 specialist schools in Grantham,
Lincolnshire who have established a joint sixth form. Previously the four schools only provided 11 to 16
provision. Each school provides A level
instruction in its specialist subject.
The collaboration has been a dramatic success with a substantial
increase in the stay-on rate at age 16 in full-time education. IlkestonThis is a 14-19 Partnership of six Derbyshire schools and colleges which is developing a vocational educational partnership. See attachment 4.
We believe there are as many as 100 such collaborations of specialist schools many of which involve a high performing school helping an underperforming partner school.
We would hope that the trust mechanism proposed in the White Paper could enable these groups of schools to pool resources and best practice. If they were able to operate under the umbrella of a common non-profit educational charity they could
1. Share central support staff such as a Bursar, IT coordinator and even a fundraiser to seek the support of sponsors. Possibly they could engage a joint Chief Executive. 2. Collaborate on joint sixth forms 3. Use the expertise in particular subjects of specialist schools, e.g. the Language College could support language teaching in all the member schools in the trust. 4. Operate a joint TeachFirst or GTP teacher training programme. 5. Link with a neighbouring university 6. Arrange work placements on a joint basis 7. Collaborate on special needs, vulnerable children and behaviourally difficult children.
Groups of these schools have said they would even be willing to be held accountable on a group basis for GCSE and A level results rather than on an individual school basis.
We would hope that whatever proposals are adopted, they will allow collaborations of this sort to be set up.
Cyril TaylorChair Specialist Schools and Academies Trust
The Power of Cooperation and Collaboration between Schools
By Sir Cyril Taylor, GBE following his visit to Wiltshire specialist schools 21 September 2004
The three Trowbridge schools (St Augustine's, Clarendon and John of Gaunt) are all specialist and have developed a most interesting partnership with five other specialist schools in West Wiltshire: Matravers in Westbury, St Laurence in Bradford on Avon, John Bentley in Calne, George Ward in Melksham and Kingdown in Warminster as well as the Springfields Special School.
The Federation is an informal grouping of 8 specialist schools (and 1 special school) under which chairs of governors and headteachers meet monthly. Attached is a summary of the collaborative arrangements written by Colin Kay, the headteacher of Clarendon Language College.
Some quite fascinating linkages are taking place. For example, the three Trowbridge schools are working to establish a joint timetable so pupils in each of the three schools can take advantage of the specialist expertise in each school. Clarendon for example teaches 7 languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese). Pupils in the other two schools will be able to study these languages at Clarendon as well as adults.
Other forms of cooperation include a Gifted and Talented programme; a joint sixth form consortium; transfer of students at risk of bullying to other schools and cooperation on measures to help pupils with behavioural problems.
The three schools are even thinking of publishing their examination results on a joint basis.
Other examples of specialist school cooperation include West Berkshire, where all the schools are now specialist; The Cornwallis federation of three schools in Maidstone; Lord Harris' cluster of eight South London schools; Sir Dexter Hutt's federation of three schools in Birmingham and the Lichfield federation in Wolverhampton. The project in Wiltshire could be a pathfinder for future coordination between specialist schools.
This is a powerful new idea which, if carefully nurtured, could transform English secondary education.
Collaboration in Trowbridge really began with the creation of the Trowbridge Sixth Form Centre in 1997. The thinking was simple, by working in partnership we could provide something much better than we could by competing. John of Gaunt and Clarendon Schools are only five minutes walk apart and by creating a joint timetable we could provide both a wider range of subjects and a wider choice of combinations of subjects for all our students. A simple clear formula of funding per student removed any potential for financial disagreements and by approaching marketing jointly we were able to produce much higher quality materials. Remembering that you are working together and balancing the interests of your partner when making decisions about your own institution is not easy. Schools have there own impetus and even remembering you have a partner at all who will be affected by what you decide is actually quite hard. As David Hargreaves says networks depend upon trust. As two Headteachers we believed that we were both committed to the principles of partnership and this enabled to talk frankly when things went wrong and so develop the trust to make them work in the long term.
From this we have gone on to other things. We welcomed Matravers School in Westbury into the Sixth Form partnership franchising courses to them until they were able to gain their own sixth form. We worked together with St Augustine's on a Work Related Learning project at KS4. Students from all three Trowbridge schools worked on "A Vision for Trowbridge" helping the RDA appointed consultants to carry out their consultation and produce an urban design framework.
When it came to applying for specialist school status, therefore, it was natural that we should discuss it and that we should draw up separate but mutually supportive bids bearing in mind the needs of our community as well as our own strengths. It was also natural that we should seek sponsorship together. We believed that this was much more powerful. Businesses did not have to choose between us. They did not have to have separate meetings and it was easier for them to see the overall benefits of the bids. So it was absolutely fitting that we should celebrate our success together. We are now planning on dovetailing our community plans into a learning extension programme to benefit the whole community.
Collaboration does not just stop at Trowbridge. We are lucky that in West Wiltshire we have a group of Headteachers with like similar ideas. Working from a base of mutual trust amongst the Trowbridge schools we have been able to develop a wider partnership which has now gained recognition from the DfES as the West Wilts federation of Secondary Schools. This includes Matravers in Westbury, St Laurence in Bradford on Avon, George Ward in Melksham, Kingdown in Warminster, John Bentley in Calne as well as the three Trowbridge schools. These are all specialist schools and 11-18 comprehensives. Springfields Special School min Calne is also part of the Federation. There are a number of areas in which we are collaborating already. We have a Gifted and Talented project supported by the Independent-State Schools Partnership which enables students in our schools to work together locally in Year 8 and then in Year with students in other schools across the UK. We have a programme which enables some students in danger of permanent exclusion to transfer to another school on a Fresh Start. As a group of schools we also work closely with the LEA so that when students are permanently excluded we can agree a Restart programme quickly. This requires a considerable degree of openness and trust that each school will take their share. Following recognition and funding from the DfES we have been able to appoint a Project manager to work for us three days a week. We have a Governing Group made up of a Governor and the Headteacher from each school that meets about once a term and a Steering Group of Headteachers that meets once a month. This organisational structure has made it possible to begin work on some important new areas of collaboration. Two staff from each school have been trained in coaching techniques and given additional released time to work with staff in each school to improve the quality of teaching and learning. A Quality Assurance Group has been set up to develop self=evaluation across the Federation. This will mean staff being involved in self-evaluation across a number of schools and linking teams that have examples of good practice with ones that are in need of development. A Deputy Headteacher from the special school has been commissioned to do a survey of how schools are managing behaviour and approaching social inclusion in order to collect and disseminate examples of good practice. Finally and most ambitiously we are trying to develop a collaborative approach to the 14-19 curriculum by crating interfaces between the different timetables. This is the first step in a move to try and create a common timetabling structure across the schools in the Federation and also linking with Wilshire College of Further Education and indepe4dnt training providers. In addition as all of our schools are specialist they will be using their different expertise to benefit the whole Federation. As they apply for redesignation they will take on additional specialisms to broaden the ones already on offer that are Performing Arts, Technology , Languages, Sports and Maths , Science and ICT.
Our Federation is based on a shared belief that collaboration can bring real benefits to all the schools by raising standards, a commitment to provide the highest possible quality to our young people and a shared sense of trust and integrity.
South Maidstone Federation is part of the wider Kent Secondary Strategy agenda which sees diversity and collaboration as two of the main vehicles for raising standards and supporting improvements in teaching and learning.
Collaboration is an essential part of the future of education. With many of Kent's schools improving, specializing and transforming the quality of their leadership, it is essential to ensure that these benefits are shared with other schools. Collaboration enables schools to share expertise, good practice and ideas for innovation, to provide support and opportunities for developing leadership across a number of schools, as well as tackling issues of inclusion and helping to narrow the achievement gap.
Federation takes collaboration to the next level by giving groups of schools a formal and structured framework in which to operate. Under the terms of the 2002 Education Act, a hard Federation is a group of two or more schools with a joint Governing Body. Each of the schools retains their separate individual identity but their individual Governing Bodies are dissolved and a new joint Instrument of Governance establishes a single Federated Governing Body in their place.
In South Maidstone Federation we spent two years establishing such a Federation from April 2003 to April 2005 when the first meeting of the Hard Federation governing Body took place. An Executive joint Governing Body Committee with a clear strategic brief to raise standards in the constituent schools was established. By providing a coherent management and coordinated structure across the Federation and engendering a degree of trust through collaborative projects, firm foundations were put in place to support future single governance Federation arrangements.
Key points about South Maidstone Federation :
· It is a group of three schools with a formal agreement to work together to raise standards, promote inclusion and innovation, and improve teaching and learning.
· Two of the schools, Oldborough Manor and Senacre, have in excess of 45% of their pupils designated as having Special Needs and those schools serve very deprived areas of Maidstone.
· There is a written agreement with specified objectives, a joint Executive Governing Body Committee with strategic responsibility for Federation projects, through the management of a Chief Executive to coordinate projects which will raise achievement.
· The Federation provides a mechanism for the three schools to improve and work together in new ways to tackle inclusion through broadening the curriculum, increasing access and participation post 16 and reducing both the number of fixed term and permanent exclusions.
· The South Maidstone Federation is a move away from the culture of isolationism towards one of cooperation and collaboration. Recognising that there is good practice in all three schools, the Federation enables that good practice to be developed and disseminated.
· Staff and teachers in the Federation have a chance to learn from each other, sharing expertise, curriculum initiatives and support. Through joint staff and governor training programmes and improved professional development, strategic management and leadership of the Federation's schools is being enhanced.
· During the two year period the Headteacher of one of the small schools retired and the other moved post. This enabled the appointment of two Heads of School to be made.
· The Executive Headteacher adopted a mentoring management model to give considerable autonomy to each of the smaller schools. In this way the authority of the Head of School and Leadeship Team was clear, the loyalty of staff and students was uncompromised and the distinctive character of the schools was retained.
· The declared objectives were few and simple :
o To improve outcomes for students o To widen the 14-19 curriculum o To improve post 16 staying on rates o To increase recruitment to South Maidstone schools o To improve staff capacity by widening professional development opportunities
· Partnerships have been essential in building progress, one in particular with Mid Kent College of Further Education has enabled occupational courses to be established at Oldborough Manor and Senacre sites, broadening the curriculum for students from 14-19 from all three schools.
· Courses in Building Crafts, Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy are already thriving with Engineering available on the College site. Painting & Decorating and Catering will be available from September 2005.
· In a two year period very substantial foundations have been constructed on which to build successful secondary education for all in South Maidstone. This model may not suit all situations but it is a bespoke arrangement which could be readily adapted for use elsewhere
ATTACHMENT 4
What Initial Development Priorities have been determined?
Six Development Priorities have been initially identified by the Partnership's Steering Group and these will be the focus of work in the short to medium term
1. Establishing and Developing the Ilkeston Sixth Form Centre to complement the South East Derbyshire College's Vocational Academy in Ilkeston and its Sixth Form Centre in Heanor
2. Establishing an inclusive, effective and efficient Management Structure which will ensure the successful growth of the Partnership and the achievement of its Objectives, to the mutual benefit of learners and individual institutions alike.
3. Developing and Implementing the 14 Vocational Educational Lines as outlined in the Government's White Paper
4. Further Raising Educational Standards through the Sharing and Development of Good Practice in Teaching and Learning across the five schools and the FE College.
5. Successfully Bidding to become a DfES Foundation Partnership Pilot and working with and learning from similar partnerships from across the country.
6. Exploiting the potential for Educational Improvement offered by the Specialist Schools Programme.
The Ilkeston 14-19 Partnership
Working together to deliver the very best educational opportunities for all young people
Bennerley School
Bennerley Fields School
Ilkeston School Specialist Arts College
Kirk Hallam Community Technology College
Saint John Houghton Catholic School Specialist Science College
South East Derbyshire College
Ilkeston 14-19 Partnership Staff Information Leaflet No. 1 Why have the Partners agreed to work closely together?
The Schools and Colleges have come together to jointly plan and implement 14-19 curricular developments in the belief that
1. Increased collaborative working will be of major benefit to all the area's young people.
2. The Government's proposals for 14-19 Education will be best managed and implemented in the Ilkeston area in a unified and co-ordinated manner.
What is the Partnership's Vision?
The Ilkeston Secondary Schools and South East Derbyshire College, working innovatively together, and in partnership with Derbyshire LEA, Derbyshire LSC, The Derbyshire Network and other Education and Training Providers, Connexions and other Support Agencies, and Local Employers, will provide all young people in the area with equal access to 1. High quality learning experiences. 2. The fullest possible range of 14-19 Pathways leading to the fulfilment of their potential and an overall further raising of levels of achievement. What are the Partnership's Objectives?
1. The Partners will work closely together to imaginatively implement the Government's proposals for 14-19 education and to ensure that all the educational benefits arising are available equally to all students in the Ilkeston area or adjacent locality.
2. The Partners will work together to provide all young people in the area with an appropriate and high quality education from the age of 11 through to 19, markedly improving the retention rates in education and training at 16 and beyond.
3. The Partners will seek to develop a jointly-managed and staffed Sixth Form Centre in Ilkeston, building on the existing provision at Ilkeston School and complementing the Vocational Academy provision at South East Derbyshire College in Ilkeston and the Sixth Form Centre at Heanor.
4. Collaboration over the development, planning and delivery of the 14-16 curriculum will increase markedly, building on existing good practice, in order that students in all the 5 schools will have equal access to the full range of new vocational and work-related courses as they are introduced.
5. Staff Support Networks, based upon existing good practice, will be established from July 2005 to enable staff across the Partnership to work together, to share good educational practice, to implement new initiatives and to develop innovative solutions to new challenges.
6. The Partners will develop their Specialist Status in order to provide the local educational community with a range of complementary Specialisms and Centres of Excellence covering the whole of the 14-19 curriculum. These Specialisms will work in a coordinated manner to improve the learning opportunities of all Ilkeston learners with mapped local progression pathways to quality assured post 16 provision.
7. The Partners, working together, will accept responsibility for the success of all young people in the Ilkeston area and will set and work towards development, participation, progression and achievement targets for the area as a whole. Overall, Ilkeston area students already achieve results which are well above national norms and exhibit considerable Added Value. It is the intention to further improve upon these performances dealing with areas of under-achievement as a priority.
ATTACHMENT 5
November 2005
A general brief for prospective academy sponsors and schools considering applying for academy status
The purpose of the Government's Academies Programme is to replace around 200 under-performing secondary schools, located mainly in socially disadvantaged areas, with a new type of non fee paying independent state school which will transform the educational prospects of many of our most disadvantaged young people.
It is estimated that 150,000 secondary school children attend some 200 under-performing schools. Most are situated in inner-city urban areas. Many of these schools occupy run down buildings which have not been properly maintained for years. The circumstances in which these young people receive their education gives them a very poor message about the importance which society places on their educational achievement and life prospects. Staff working in these schools face enormous challenges, often made worse by having to accept a large number of children excluded from other schools because, being an unpopular choice for many parents, they have spare places. All too often a spiral of decline sets in for these challenged schools. Social justice requires that something radical must be done to transform these institutions.
It is also in our country's best economic interests to act without delay. Many of the children attending these schools leave without the skills which are necessary to obtain gainful employment. Many will spend their lives on welfare benefits at great cost to the taxpayer. Others will drift into crime. As a nation we need a highly skilled workforce to compete in the global economy. A workforce equipped to add value to goods and services. We simply cannot afford to carry large numbers of unskilled and unproductive people if we are to meet the economic challenges coming from countries like China and India. So, the interests of the economy and social justice converge - as a nation we simply must ensure that we provide high quality schools for the most challenged and challenging of our young people.
What are Academies? Academies were launched 4 years ago as a development of the original and highly successful City Technology Colleges initiative launched in 1987. Most of the CTCs are converting to academy status. Academies are independent, all ability, state schools sponsored and supported by sponsors. They are also specialist schools forming part of the wider specialist schools movement, of which there are now 2,400 schools representing 80% of all English secondary schools.
Academies occupy buildings which are either newly built or remodelled existing buildings. Sponsors contribute 10% of the building costs capped at £2 million with the balance being paid by the Department for Education and Skills. Annual recurrent funding is paid directly by the DfES to each academy at the same per capita rate as for other maintained schools in the area. No fees are charged to parents.
While academies are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum which meets the requirements of the National Curriculum, they have additional freedoms and flexibility to use innovative approaches to leadership, governance, organisation, staffing and the curriculum. Each academy adopts a specialism such as business and enterprise or modern foreign languages. They may admit 10% of their intake on the basis of aptitude in particular subjects. Many place a special emphasis on vocational courses.
The below is a list of examples of different specialisms:
· Technology Academies specialise in teaching mathematics, science, design technology, and information & communications technology (ICT);
· Arts Academies specialise in teaching the performing arts including music, dance and drama; some also specialise in visual or media arts;
· Sports Academies specialise in teaching physical education and sport, and also serve as centres of sporting excellence for neighbouring schools;
· Science Academies emphasise the study of physics, chemistry and biology, working with leading university science departments, industry and major UK science bodies to create innovative centres of excellence;
· Language Academies specialise in teaching modern foreign languages and promote an international ethos across the whole curriculum;
· Mathematics & Computing Academies emphasise these two essential prerequisites for further studies in the sciences and technology and for jobs requiring numerical analysis;
· Business & Enterprise Academies specialise in business studies and foster an enterprise culture in schools. They teach business studies, financial literacy, enterprise-related vocational studies and marketing skills;
· Engineering Academies focus on mathematics and design technology, providing opportunities to study a wide range of engineering disciplines from civil and electrical engineering to telecoms. Their aim is to increase the number of good applicants for engineering degrees;
· Humanities Academies specialise in either English (both language and literature) history or geography and foster an understanding of human values and attitudes;
· Music Academies specialise in teaching music but also have a secondary focus on mathematics or ICT.
Academies may also combine two of the above specialisms.
Academies employ qualified teachers who are registered with the General Teaching Council.
Some academies operate as part of a federation, which are formed from partnerships of high achieving and less successful schools. These federations may include independent schools.
Criteria for determining whether a school should be converted to academy status The general principle is that academies will be established on the sites of existing under-performing schools unless there are strong grounds for creating additional school places in a new school in a particular area or improving the facilities of a school performing reasonably well in difficult circumstances but with poor facilities.
The key criteria for deciding whether a project is a potential Academy are the educational needs of the school and the community it serves. Examples of the types of factor used in making that judgement are: a) There is a need for the proposed number of pupil places; b) The current performance of the existing school as determined by average KS3, GCSE and, if available, A Level results, are well below the average of other schools in the area; c) There is clear evidence of challenging circumstances in a wide variety of other measures including attendance, the ratio of applications to places, the number of exclusions, incidents of bullying, high turnover of staff and a large number of staff vacancies; d) The state of the buildings is poor, urgently needing either renovation or demolition; e) The school is situated in a socially disadvantaged area, as shown by the high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals or other indices of deprivation including the level of unemployment, single parent families, crime and poverty; f) Academies should be geographically dispersed so that academies are established in all areas of deprivation, both urban and rural (up to 60 will be established in London); g) To assist the decision making in the sites of academies, a target list of 200 communities will be established, similar to the procedures which were used to decide the locations of City Technology Colleges; h) In certain circumstances, academies may be created in new schools starting with a year 7 intake or even a post-16 provision only, providing there is a clear need for the additional school places. There may for example be a particular need for academies catering for the post-16 age group because of the likely growth in the need for places for this age group. There will be some all age academies.
The Academies Programme to date 27 academies are open as of September 2005. Over 40 will be open by September 2006. The Government's target is at least 200 open or in the pipeline by 2010.
Early indications are that academies are already bringing about improvements in educational performance, behaviour and attendance. They are helping to create a change of ethos and expectations with a new 'can do' approach. Academies are replacing some of the country's most challenging schools and it would be unrealistic to expect an overnight transformation, but there are encouraging signs.
- Reviews of the progress of academies by both OfSTED and PricewaterhouseCoopers have been generally positive; - Initial reports from academies suggest 2005 results for the percentage of pupils achieving 5 good GCSEs are well in excess of the national rates of improvement we have seen over the last few years; - many academies are opening up new opportunities for pupils by use of the extended day; - extensive use if being made of business mentors; - there is frequently a renewed focus on the basics of English, Maths and ICT through timetable changes; - academies are proving to be very popular with parents with a substantial increase in demand for places.
The Role of Sponsors Academy sponsors come from a wide range of backgrounds including individual philanthropists, business, faith communities, livery companies and educational foundations. Their role is to challenge traditional thinking and bring fresh ideas and a vision to the school they sponsor with the express purpose of raising educational standards. The second evaluation report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) of the Academies Programme reported that 82% of academy staff agreed that sponsors' resources and contributions made a positive impact on pupils' learning.
In terms of funding, sponsors make a charitable donation of 10% of the building costs, up to a total of £2 million (or £1.5 million for an academy based on remodelled rather than completely new buildings) towards the initial capital cost of their academy. Sponsors can also join together to provide smaller amounts of sponsorship as long as the overall sponsorship reaches £2 million. Typically an academy costs approximately £25 million to build. Thus the donation of £2 million provides a government capital leverage of 12.5 to 1. The funding agreement also provides for recurrent funding on the same per capita basis as for other maintained schools in that area.
In terms of governance, sponsors set up new limited liability non-profit companies with charitable status. Sponsors appoint a majority of founding trustees who in turn appoint the school governors. The governing body carries the duties of the trust in managing the school, including setting the budget, appointing the principal and senior staff and setting the strategic direction of the academy.
How to apply to be a sponsor Potential sponsors interested in supporting the Academies Programme should:
1) contact the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust or the DfES Academies New Projects Unit (contact details at the end of the brief) for an initial informal discussion. A visit to an academy which is already in operation can be arranged. 2) If the sponsorship looks likely to proceed there will be a brokering period during which suitable schools, sites and partnerships will be identified. If successful, this will lead to a formal 'Expression of Interest' which has to be agreed by the Secretary of State. 3) The project will then proceed to a feasibility stage, the costs of which are met by the DfES. The following issues will be examined: an estimate of capital costs; timetable and date of opening; age range and number of pupils; specialist subjects; governance proposals and admission arrangements. It is likely that in future building projects will sometimes be more closely linked to the Building Schools for the Future programme. 4) Assuming a successful resolution of all the issues a funding agreement will be signed between the sponsor and the Secretary of State so the project can move on to the implementation stage. 5) The implementation stage will include all building/refurbishment works, linked to Building Schools for the Future, and the appointment of key personnel including the Project Manager as well as the Principal and senior school staff.
Depending on the local circumstances and the amount of building work required, it typically takes up to 3 years from initial discussion with a sponsor until the opening of the academy.
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) is the lead advisory body on the specialist schools and academies initiatives for the DfES, providing advice and support for schools seeking to achieve or maintain specialist school status and to sponsors wishing to establish academies.
Founded in 1987, the SSAT helped to establish the original 15 City Technology Colleges which are now the leading all ability schools in the country, averaging 93% 5+ A* grades at GCSE in 2005 and subsequently the 2,400 specialist schools which are also performing well.
The Trust is a registered educational charity which has 200 staff and is funded by fees from its 2,600 affiliated schools, donations from sponsors and foundations, and grants from the DfES.
The SSAT plays an important support role for academies. In particular it:
- seeks out new sponsors and briefs them on how to establish an academy; - acts as a trouble shooter to help sponsors resolve issues of concern; - helps academies raise standards, including establishing links with leading specialist schools; - performs a media and communications role.
See the Trust website www.specialistschoolstrust.org.uk for a description of the Trust's services to schools.
For further information please contact:
Christine Prentice, Head of Academy Sponsor Relations, SSAT, 37 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5HR. Tel: 020 7581 7336; email: Christinep@specialistschools.org.uk
You can also contact the Sponsorship Team, Academies Division, DfES, Great Smith Street on 020 7925 6377. ATTACHMENT 6November 2005Specialist Schools:A general brief for sponsors and schools
Nearly eighty percent of all secondary schools in England now have specialist status. The 2,409 specialist schools including City Technology Colleges and Academies are maintained English secondary schools which teach the full national curriculum but give particular attention to their specialist subject, sometimes through an extended school day. All maintained schools are eligible to bid for specialist status. There is no government cap on the number of specialist schools and funding is available for every approved bid.
Each prospective specialist school must obtain sponsorship of £50,000 or more from the private sector. A special Department for Education and Skills partnership fund of £3 million a year has been established with the help of the Garfield Weston Foundation to assist schools who find it difficult to raise the full £50,000 sponsorship. Though sponsorship is a one-off charitable contribution, sponsors are encouraged to become involved with their school, either through joining the governing body or offering pupils and teachers work experience or other encouragement. Approximately 500 schools have achieved specialist status in each of the past two years.
Schools applying for specialist school status submit a detailed development plan to the DfES with specific targets for improving the school's overall results and raising achievement in the specialist subject. This plan also shows how one third of the extra funding to be received will be used to help other schools, especially feeder primary schools, in their local community.
Successful applicants initially receive a one-off government capital grant of £100,000 together with an annual top up recurrent grant of £129 per pupil for four years, equivalent to about £129,000 for the average sized school of 1000 pupils. This is equivalent to about 3% of their normal recurrent funding. Thus an investment of £50,000 in sponsorship attracts a government grant for each school of approximately £600,000, a leverage of 12 to 1. Donations are tax deductible.
Designation is reviewed every four years when schools must apply for redesignation by submitting a new development plan. Redesignation depends mainly on whether improvement targets have been met and on the quality of new plans. Most schools are successful in their redesignation bids, although about one in 20 lose their status. These schools can reapply after two years. Schools which are particularly successful in achieving their goals are given fast track status when applying for redesignation. These schools can apply to focus on a second specialism for which they receive an additional £60 per pupil per year recurrent grant.
Any maintained school can apply for specialist school status irrespective of whether it has a sixth form. Approximately half of the existing specialist schools have sixth forms while the remainder are for 11-16 year olds only. The mission of specialist schoolsThe mission of specialist schools is to build a world-class network of innovative, high performing secondary schools. These schools, working in partnership with business and the wider community, bring choice and diversity to the English maintained secondary school system. This initiative is first and foremost focussed on raising standards of overall achievement. Specialist schools have high expectations of their pupils and create an ethos of discipline, order and achievement. They seek to ensure that young people are well-educated and technologically skilled, ready and able to progress into employment, further training or higher education according to their individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions. They add to the richness and variety of secondary school provision, acting as a resource for neighbouring schools and the local community.
The 2,402 existing specialist schools educate 2.7 million pupils, over 80% of all secondary school pupils, to an increasingly high standard.
There are ten different types of specialist school:
· Technology Colleges (currently 590 including the first pilot group of 15 CTCs) specialise in teaching mathematics, science, design technology, and information & communications technology (ICT);
· Arts Colleges (currently 384) specialise in teaching the performing arts including music, dance and drama; some also specialise in visual or media arts;
· Sports Colleges (currently 333) specialise in teaching physical education and sport, and also serve as centres of sporting excellence for neighbouring schools;
· Science Colleges (currently 270) emphasise the study of physics, chemistry and biology, working with leading university science departments, industry and major UK science bodies to create innovative centres of excellence;
· Language Colleges (currently 214) specialise in teaching modern foreign languages and promote an international ethos across the whole curriculum;
· Mathematics & Computing Colleges (currently 206) emphasise these two essential prerequisites for further studies in the sciences and technology and for jobs requiring numerical analysis;
· Business & Enterprise Colleges (currently 201) specialise in business studies and foster an enterprise culture in schools. They teach business studies, financial literacy, enterprise-related vocational studies and marketing skills;
· Engineering Colleges (currently 41) focus on mathematics and design technology, providing opportunities to study a wide range of engineering disciplines from civil and electrical engineering to telecoms. Their aim is to increase the number of good applicants for engineering degrees;
· Humanities Colleges (currently 60) specialise in either English (both language and literature) history or geography and foster an understanding of human values and attitudes;
· Music Colleges (currently15) specialise in teaching music but also have a secondary focus on mathematics or ICT.
· There are 70 schools with combined specialisms. Additionally schools in rural areas may add a rural dimension in any of the above specialisms.
· There are 27 academies currently open which specialise in a variety subjects.
A summary of the curriculum requirements for each type of specialist school can be found on at www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools. Sponsors briefs are available for each individual specialism at www.specialistschools.org.uk or please contact the address overleaf. Role of SponsorsSponsors, either individually or collectively with others sponsors, provide the following assistance:
1. A one time financial contribution which totals at least £50,000 per school. Donations are deductible against tax and can be given either in cash or in suitable kind but cannot be conditional upon purchase of the sponsors' products. There is no ongoing obligation to provide additional financial assistance;
2. Sponsors are encouraged (but not required) to enter into long term support relationships with their school. This may include one or more of the following: a) Appointing governors to serve on the school's governing body b) Encouraging the schools to report annually on their progress c) Providing work placements for both teachers and students, providing careers advice for students and mentoring of both students and teachers.
Above all, sponsors are invited to help schools develop a businesslike ethos which encourages delivery of a high quality education and value for money. Some sponsors enter into long term funding agreements (3 years or more) under which a number of schools are supported over a period of time. 700 sponsors over the past 17 years have contributed over £150 million of sponsorship to the initiative. Record of Specialist SchoolsThe first specialist schools were designated in 1994 (and the last CTC in 1992) and the record of specialist schools in raising standards is impressive.
· The 1,838 non-selective specialist schools in operation in the summer of 2005 averaged 57.2% 5+ A*-C grades at GCSE. This compares with 45.8% for all other non-selective maintained schools - about a quarter better for specialist schools.
· The intake of these 1,838 specialist schools in 2000, when the 2005 GCSE pupil cohort entered secondary school at age 11, was broadly similar to that of other comprehensive schools, as shown by average key stage 2 point scores per pupil in 2000 of 27.07 for those schools entering the specialist schools compared to 26.34 for those entering the non-specialist comprehensive schools. The better performance at GCSE by specialist schools is not therefore dependent on them selecting more able cohorts.
· Performance by specialist schools in their specialist subjects is considerably higher than for other comprehensive schools in those subjects as well as in the key subjects of mathematics, science and English.
· Research by Professor David Jesson of York University shows that specialist schools add more value than other comprehensive schools. Using average Key Stage 2 results at age 11 to predict the proportion of good grades a school should achieve at GCSE, Professor Jesson's study shows that in 2005 the 1,838 specialist schools should have achieved 55.8% 5+A* - C grades at GCSE but actually achieved 57.2%. By contrast the 1,091 non-specialist schools should have achieved 48.6% but only achieved 45.8%. On a net basis specialist schools had a value added of plus 4.2 good grades.
The success of the specialist schools programme has led the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors and the Engineering Employers' Federation as well as many leading firms and distinguished foundations to endorse the programme.
"The CBI formally endorses the specialist schools programme as a key contributor to raising educational standards and improving the skills base of the UK. It encourages its members to become involved in partnerships with education in whatever way is most appropriate for the business concerned." The Confederation of British Industry
"The IoD endorses the specialist schools programme as an outstanding example of effective business/school links. We would encourage our members to support specialist schools through sponsorship, appointment of business governors or through the provision of work experience for both teachers and pupils." Institute of Directors
A recent evaluation by Ofsted says that specialist schools are performing better and improving faster than other schools. David Bell, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, said: "Being a specialist school makes a difference. Working to declared targets, dynamic leadership, a renewed sense of purpose, targeted use of funding and being a contributor to an optimistic network of like-minded schools, all contribute to a climate for improvement and drive forward change."
Application Process Applications for specialist school status are made to the Specialist Schools Unit at the DfES. For detailed guidance, see DfES generic guidance setting out the criteria for all specialist schools (and combinations) plus separate sections for each of the ten specialisms at www.dfes.gov.uk/specialistschools. The application should contain the following:
1. Information about the school, including size, legal status and recent examination results; 2. A development plan to achieve measurable improvements both in the specialist subjects and overall, to include quantified performance targets to be achieved over the four year period; 3. Evidence of how the school will work with other schools and the wider community; 4. An outline of the bid for capital grant from the DfES, (grants may be used for the purchase of equipment, furniture and associated building work in order to enhance facilities for the teaching of the specialist subjects). 5. An outline of how the recurrent grant would support the development plan; 6. Details of sponsorship confirmed. The details of the proposed on-going partnerships with sponsors, including co-option on to the governing body.
There are normally two application rounds for specialist schools each year, in March and October. Typically about two thirds of schools who bid reach the standard required for designation. Some schools bid a second or third time before being designated.
Role of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and the Youth Sport Trust The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is the lead advisory body on the specialist school initiative for the DfES, providing advice and support for schools seeking to achieve or maintain specialist school status. Founded in 1987, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust is a registered educational charity which has 200 staff and is funded by fees from its 2,600 affiliated schools, donations from sponsors and foundations, and grants from the DfES. Its work includes the promotion, development and support of specialist school curriculum development and innovation, teacher training in ICT, conference and seminar activities and a publications programme. The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust plays an important role in raising sponsorship and introducing potential sponsors to suitable candidate schools. The Youth Sport Trust supports schools seeking Sports College status (www.youthsporttrust.org).
Further Information For more information about any of the sponsorship opportunities outlined, please contact: Ian Turner, Director of Strategy and Programme Networks, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust 16th Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7802 2300 Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7802 2345 COMPANY NO. 2124695 email: iant@ssatrust.org.uk www.ssatrust.org.uk CHARITY NO. 296729
Proposal
· Enable all schools to acquire the support of a charitable Trust (formed by a business, faith group, university, successful local school or a local voluntary, community or parent group). · Ensure that Trust Schools have the freedoms they need to respond to pupils and parents · Appoint a Schools Commissioner to drive change, promote choice and champion Trust Schools · Every new / replacement primary and secondary school will be self-governing (Foundation, Trust, voluntary aided or an Academy).
General Q&A
What are Trust Schools? Trust schools are schools supported by a charitable Trust. The Trust will hold land and buildings in trust for the benefit of the school and will be able to appoint governors - at least a quarter of the governing body, and they may appoint the majority. Trusts will provide an opportunity for schools to secure a long-term partnership with external sponsors. Many schools already derive benefits through such relationships including specialist schools and Academies. Trusts will give a wide range of organisations and local community and parent groups the opportunity to make a real contribution to schools. Why should any school do this? Becoming a Trust school is a way for schools to strengthen their ethos, help to invigorate school governance and leadership and gain an external source of direction, continuity and focus for the school. Academies and voluntary aided schools already benefit from such relationships. Many specialist schools have sponsors who appoint governors Trusts will appoint governors who they believe have the right skills and experience to govern, and who will ensure that the school is run in accordance with the principles of the Trust. Where a Trust is formed by a larger organisation, it might offer the school access to facilities and management expertise; and where it supports several schools a Trust could enable the group to develop a common ethos and identity, and collaborate in developing innovative approaches and sharing best practice. How does a school become a Trust School? The governing body would first consult with parents to ensure support for the idea, and for the particular Trust it proposes to work with. They would then publish formal proposals. We are confident that parents will welcome proposals that will drive up standards and create new opportunities for children. However, the local authority will be able to refer the proposal to the Schools Adjudicator for determination, if it is clear that parents' views haven't been properly listened to, or if there are serious concerns about the impact on school standards. We expect that the majority of new schools will be set up as Trust schools - this will form part of the proposal for the new school. How much money do Trusts need to invest? Trusts are not about generating income for schools. We want a range of organisations, including parent and community groups, to be able to form Trusts and contribute to the running of schools. Why do Trusts have to be not-for-profit? Money that is given to schools should be spent on educating children: it should not be used to derive a profit for shareholders. What freedoms do Trust schools get? Trust schools will own their assets, set their own admission arrangements and employ their staff. This means, for example, that they can take decisions on how to manage and improve their assets or to build new buildings without needing the local authority's agreement. On admissions, Trust schools must operate within the law and take full account of the admissions Code of Practice. Will Trust schools have freedoms over the curriculum and teachers' pay? Like other schools, Trust schools will be required to deliver the National Curriculum and to employ teachers under the terms of the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document (STPCD). Trusts may apply for flexibilities under the Power to Innovate. They will need to demonstrate how any flexibilities that they are seeking will contribute to raising standards. These would then apply to all of the schools within the Trust, although it would be for the individual governing bodies to apply them. Any changes to pay and conditions would have to respect existing contracts. How can we stop unsuitable organisations forming Trusts? We have a number of safeguards in place: · All Trusts will be set up as charities, and will have specific charitable objects around improving educational outcomes for all children. They won't be allowed to make a profit from their relationship with the school, and will have to spend any income they generate or receive in line with those objects. (NB as with all other maintained schools, funding will flow through the governing body, NOT the Trust) · We will place a duty on these Trusts to promote community cohesion and good race relations. · We will regulate to prevent some groups of people from being involved with Trusts that support schools - similar regulations around membership of a School Company already disqualifies people who would not be allowed to be a Company Director and also people who have previously been removed as charity trustees or who have been disqualified from working with children and young people. · Local Authorities will be able to refer plans to acquire a trust to the Schools Adjudicator if it is clear they do not take account of the views of the majority of parents, or if they are concerned that the acquisition of the trust would have a negative impact on school standards. What if a Trust doesn't work out/goes bad? The Charity Commission has a statutory role where there is a concern about misconduct or mismanagement of a charity. If there was concern about the school's performance it would be in the same position as all other maintained schools, and the local authority would have the same intervention powers. In the worst cases, when the 'failure regime' allows for failing schools to be closed the Trust's role would be ended. What if a Trust School wants to teach subjects or material that is not considered to be in the best interest of the children? Trust schools still have to teach the National Curriculum and are subject to the same accountability regime as all other maintained schools. If Ofsted or the local authority find that the schools is inadequate, the existing intervention powers will apply in full. Are you changing the Stakeholder model of Governing bodies? We remain committed to the stakeholder model in the sense of representation of parents, staff, the community and the local authority. But the stakeholder model needs updating. Trust schools will be like voluntary aided schools in the sense that the Trust will be able to appoint the majority of governors. How will the governing bodies of Trust schools be made up? The position for Trust school GBs will be: · Local Authority appointed - at least one and no more than a fifth · Parents - at least one elected (and must be enough Trust governors who are parents so that they, plus elected parents, equal at least 1/3) · Staff - at least two and no more than 1/3 · Community - at least 1/10 · "Trust" governors - at least two, and any number the Trust wants to give an overall majority of no more than 2 The smallest you can have for a trust with a majority is 11 broken down as follows: 1 elected parent, 2 staff, 1 LA, 1 community and 6 "trust" of whom 3 must be parents. Will there be fewer parents represented on the governing body of a Trust School? Parents will continue to make up one third of the governing body of all maintained schools including Trust schools. Where Trusts appoint a majority of the governing body this will, however, entail a reduction in the number of elected parent governors. To offset this change we are requiring Trust Schools to establish a Parent Council with an advisory/consultative role. We will also encourage other schools to establish Parent Councils. The Governing body will have a duty to have regard to the views and advice of the Parent Council in Trust Schools. How and why will these schools want to federate together? What does "federate" mean? Structures for collaboration range from small federations of schools which share governance and/or a single head teacher to larger partnerships of autonomous schools. Schools work in partnership to raise standards and improve delivery of services to children, gaining benefit from shared expertise and resources. Trust school partnerships will be committed to high standards and mutual accountability for the pupils in their schools. In the strict legal sense, a federation of schools has shared governance, but common usage of the term federation is much looser. The key principles underpinning partnership are set out in the Education Improvement Partnerships prospectus. Will the governing body have less control in Trust Schools? No. Control of Trust schools remains with the Governing body. Governing bodies are accountable for all aspects of the operation of Trust schools. Governors in Trust schools remain the strategic leaders of the school as they are with all maintained schools. There will be no reduction in the role and responsibilities of the governing body of Trust schools. What will happen to the employment of staff if a school acquires a Trust? The staff of a Trust school are employed by the governing body not the Trust. The Trust does not have any control over the employment or dismissal of staff. Where a community or voluntary controlled school becomes a Trust school the staff will be protected by TUPE because their employer will change from the local authority to the governing body. There is no change of employer if a foundation school becomes a Trust school. Who has ownership of the land? The land is held on trust for the school by the school's Trust for the duration of the Trust's involvement in the school. If the school closes, the land would usually revert to the Local Authority, except where it was originally provided by the Trust. Will Trust Schools be able to dispose of surplus assets? In most cases, yes, and the school can benefit from the receipts. The usual requirements of the permission of the Secretary of State will apply where disposal of playing field areas are proposed. However, where an authority believes that disposal of surplus assets is not in the interests of the wider educational community, or where it wishes to propose an alternative use of surplus land, and local agreement cannot be reached, the matter will be referred to the Schools Adjudicator for determination. How will Trust schools be funded for capital investment? The capital arrangements will largely operate as now. They will receive devolved formula capital, and can apply to their local authority for larger projects. The local authority will remain responsible for funding the maintenance of a foundation school's buildings. Their needs will continue to be included fairly with other schools in local management planning.
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