In terms of the education landscape, academies are no longer a new phenomenon.
However, some schools are only just having the discussions about academisation – and there are still lots of people who don’t fully understand their purpose or how they operate.
Academies are state-funded schools but they’re independent from local authorities. They have significant freedoms including the opportunity to decide their own curriculums, term dates and school hours.
However, these freedoms do not mean academies are not regulated. The Department for Education together with the Education and Skills Funding Agency, provide robust educational and financial oversight of all academies. Individual academies are still subject to Ofsted inspections and ratings in exactly the same way as local authority maintained schools.
Over half of pupils are already educated in academies, as primary, secondary, middle, all-through, 16-19, alternative provision and special schools can all be academies. Most academies are part of a multi academy trust (MAT). A MAT is a charity that has responsibility for running a number of academies. MATs cannot be operated for financial profit and any surplus must be reinvested in the trust.
By working in partnership with each other, the schools within a trust can share staff, curriculum expertise and effective teaching practices, and work together to deliver the best outcomes for all pupils.
While other types of school partnerships can be effective, the key difference with academy trusts is that there is shared accountability for standards across the trust; all schools within the trust support each other and the trust is accountable for them all.
Acknowledging that no system is perfect, joining a MAT can be a positive move for any school. When we speak to governors from academies they tell us that being part of an effective MAT allows school leaders and staff at all levels to focus on what really matters – developing a curriculum that suits the specific needs of their community and delivering high quality teaching and learning, ensuring all pupils can fulfil their potential.
The team at Satis Education are experts is academy conversions, having worked with a range of MATs including those within Dioceses. To find out more about academisation and how it might benefit your school or child contact admin@satiseducation.co.uk
