26 th November 2014 John Johnson Assistant Director of Education& Social Services Masterclass Hot topics in Education - Meeting the demand for school places

Wandsworth context  Conservative controlled since 1989  Reflected in very strong Elected Member interest in, and engagement with, schools  ‘Diversity and choice’  Reflected in the wide mix of current schools – community, foundation, academies, Church of England, Catholic, Islamic, French bilingual  ‘High quality choices’ – ‘no schools left behind’  Reflected in 91% good or outstanding schools

35% increase in births since 2002  13 extra reception classes by 2017  25 extra reception classes by 2020  56 primary schools  10 secondary schools  7 special schools Pupil place headlines

Tooting Free School RutherfordHouse Putney Primary Academy Proposed New Schools Permanent Expansion Temporary Expansion Permanent & Temporary Expansions From 2010/11 to date PA 4B A Expansions 2010/117.5 FE 2011/129 FE 2012/138.5 FE South London Jewish Primary Free School?

Challenges of expanding existing schools  Size of buildings and site – especially the many triple decker, Victorian buildings on inner city sites  Impact of additional children on infrastructure, such as halls, dining, toilets, playground etc  Limited capital even for Basic Need  Economics of expansion - adaptation or conversion often more costly than new build classrooms  School leadership and capacity of the school to manage change  Mixed economy of school expansions, new academies and free schools

Academies and Free Schools Commission - Terms of Reference  To promote the Council’s policy of diversity and choice by identifying high quality providers who may be encouraged to put themselves forward as potential academy sponsors  To gather as much intelligence as possible about any potential sponsor’s performance, track record, ethos and approach  Where small primary schools are considering academy status, to review the risk analysis that will be undertaken  To support parent groups and other free school promoters to identify potential sponsors where the promoters need the capacity of an experienced school operator  To monitor the performance of sponsors operating in the borough and use this information to inform subsequent support for specific operators

Academies and Free Schools Commission - Membership  Independent Chair (Baroness P Perry, former HMCI)  Cabinet Member for Education & Children’s Services  Chair of Education & Children’s Services OSC  Deputy Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committee  Minority Party Representative  Chair of Wandsworth Heads’ Standing Conference  Parent Representative  Assistant Director of Children’s Services (9)

Academies and Free Schools Commission - Process  LA collects data on potential sponsors from websites and personal contact  Initial meeting between LA officers (ADs for Standards & Schools and for Resources, Head of School Improve- ment) and potential academy or free school sponsors  Potential sponsors invited to attend meeting of the Academies and Free Schools Commission  Written application forms scrutinised and evaluated – both for free schools and academies  LA comment or recommendation to DfE.

Academies and Free Schools Commission – Selection Criteria  Organisational ethos and suitability to run a school  Leadership and management capacity  Standards – results in top 10% of similar schools  Fair, transparent and inclusive admissions policies  Extended learning opportunities beyond school day  Commitment to the local community and parents  Willingness to host a special needs resource base  Financial viability

Academies and Free Schools Commission – Outcomes and Ambitions  Tooting Primary (2fe) – sponsored by Graveney Trust  Rutherford House Primary School (2fe) – free school sponsored by the Bellevue-Place Group  South London Jewish Primary Free School (1fe)  Putney Primary Academy (2fe)  Springfield Primary (tbc)  Nine Elms (tbc)