Southerly Point Co-operative Multi – Academy Trust Welcome Please do use the Post it Notes to jot down any questions. We will collect them up to draw up a Frequently Asked Questions page

What is a Multi-Academy Trust? A Multi-Academy Trust is a legal entity that governs a group of schools through a single set of trustees Schools are answerable to the Trustees and to the DFE rather than to the Local Authority It is set up by a group of schools, usually a local collaboration, that share a common ethos and vision The government requires all schools to be in a MAT by 2022

Why become a Multi Academy Trust? Logical next step Over the years, ever closer working relationships SKAH > SKILL > Coop Trust >MAT Higher standards agenda; shrinking budgets – we need to work even more closely

What do we value? Getting the best for all the children in our area Serving our community collectively Our Co-operative Values & Principles Working together as a Trust Having a choice Having autonomy

Why now? Why at all? The Prime Minister pledged to put education at the heart of his second term by dramatically expanding the academies programme Head of Ofsted, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has said he wants to see legislation that will force all schools to join clusters in a bid to better support once another George Osborne announced on March 16th: ‘Schools must become academies by 2020 or have an academy order in place, so they are committed to convert by 2022 … For any school that fails to have an academy plan in place, the government will take on radical new powers to intervene and ensure conversion takes place.’ Despite the apparent U-turn, Nicky Morgan pledges the governments commitment to establishing academies

What next? Control our own futures Plan our path and safeguard our schools Make this change Co-operative Together we can be strong, self supporting and self improving We can give our young people the best Nationally things are accelerating The vulnerable are picked off by sponsors We don’t want to lose any of our Trust Schools In preserving the status quo we might lose the very thing we all want to keep – the Co-operative Trust If we wait till 2020, it will be too late for some of us Moral imperative to support our partner trust schools and find the best way forward for us all in solidarity By having a timeline and a plan we are likely to keep the sponsors away from our schools Budget constraints for some schools are increasing their vulnerability & budgets will continue to get tighter There is the potential to do things even better than we do currently

The process is similar to buying a house Make an offer Offer accepted Due diligence Exchange contracts Completion Apply for the Academy Order DFE checks out the plan and gives approval Due diligence and consultation undertaken Funding agreement signed off MAT begins

What’s happened so far? What’s the Time Scale? Governors across all 17 schools have agreed to pursue a Multi- Academy Trust further All schools have applied for an academy order Being considered by RSC and Headteacher Board this month If our outline plan is accepted, it releases a grant to help with the next steps Work through formal consultation Sept/Oct and legal procedures (TUPE; Land and Assets; transfer from LA etc) Proposed date for opening of MAT: December 1st 2016

What now? We’d like to know what opportunities you’d like to see this bringing and use your contributions and feedback to help shape the future

How does this affect me and my child? Unlikely to notice much difference in your day to day experience – same faces; same uniform; same name; We will continue to operate with the Co-operative Values underpinning all our work Enables the range of opportunities to continue and to grow as we gain economies of scale. E.g. bulk purchasing Schools will work together more on improving teaching and learning which will be good for every child

How does this affect me and my child? Whilst the Trustees are responsible for the governance of the Trust, parents’ views will still be represented at local school level The schools will work together in 3 hubs with a hub council Each school has representation on the hub councils Hub Councils undertake delegated governance work on behalf of the trustees

What do the Head Teachers think? We have chosen to pursue moving forward as an academy with our Trust school colleagues as we believe it's in the best interests of the children in this school. We have already benefitted from working together as a trust and the children in our school have had opportunities that we as a small school would not have been able to offer them by ourselves. 

Our children have had the chance to take part in sports competitions, art workshops and maths development sessions to name but a few. They have had the opportunity to work with children from other schools and so to make new friends and to meet their eventual secondary school peers. 

We feel that this move will offer the chance for staff and pupils to work more closely together and in a better way. At a time when there is so much unprecedented change and uncertainty in education, by coming together in this way our schools can provide some degree of stability for the education of all children in the area.

‘By joining Southerly Point Cooperative Multi Academy Trust we will build an organisation that will benefit all pupils in the area from the ages of 2 to 18. Southerly Point will provide fantastic opportunities for: staff to develop as professionals, pupils from all schools to have equal access to the best education possible and for parents to have a say in the future of education for their children. We have the opportunity to forge a joint future that insists on being world class. It is undeniable that we will be stronger together.’

As a relatively new head of small Church school, I  have valued the support and guidance I have received from the Trust.  By becoming a MAT with the Trust Schools I feel strongly that the support will strengthen and embed.  We already have forged good working relationships, sharing expertise and experiences.  The  MAT will enable us to do more of this 'joined up' work which will help schools focus on school improvement and improve outcomes for our young people

‘The benefits of working together as an Educational Trust honouring the Co-operative values and sharing the experience and expertise of all schools to benefit the pupils has been clear. To move forward together to continue to ensure high standards and consistency amongst us all is the obvious option. Our future is in our hands.’ 'Over the last four years, we have benefited from really strong relationships with the Southerly Point Trust schools, providing great opportunities for our children and staff. Making the partnership an academy will strengthen and improve the deal for our school even further.'

By joining  Southerly Point Cooperative Multi Academy Trust we will build an organisation that will benefit all pupils in the area from the ages of 2 to 18.   Southerly Point will provide fantastic opportunities for: staff to develop as professionals, pupils from all schools to have equal access to the best education possible and for parents to have a say in the future of education for their children.

‘We are delighted to be able to join the Southerly Point Cooperative Educational MAT. We feel that the support which our school has already received through the Trust - in terms of: staff training and development; sharing of  practice; support at leadership level; and opportunities for providing the best possible experiences for our children - are all areas which, when within the MAT, we can continue to further develop and build upon.’  ‘Being a small school we have a limited capacity for providing sporting, creative and academic options for our pupils. By joining this MAT, we can draw upon the expertise of staff within 16 other schools and so ensure that we are providing all of our children with the very best opportunities in all areas, whilst still being at the heart of our community. This, along with the economies of scale and ability to support one another through the intrinsic Cooperative Values which will underpin the  values and vision of this MAT, makes this an exciting and prime opportunity  for our school.’   

We have the opportunity to forge a joint future that insists on being world class. It is undeniable that we will be stronger together.  

Why become part of the MAT? Having a shared set of values and expectations across the schools Having increased opportunities for learning across the schools Being at the cutting edge of inclusive education and provision, being part of a wider and more inclusive community Knowing that resources and expertise will be shared across the schools, which will give richer provision for our children

What now? We’d like to know your views and what opportunities you’d like to see this bringing. We will use your contributions and feedback to help shape the future Any Questions?