Heritage High School Community Consultation Meeting on plans to convert to Academy status Wednesday 8th March 2017

What is an academy? Outwardly an academy is the same as a school Schools Schools are funded from the local authority (LA) by funds from central government The LA are the employer The LA hold schools to account for their performance The LA support schools to improve teaching and learning

What is an academy? Academies Academies change the legal status of the organisation, leave the control of the LA and join an academy trust (either a Single Academy Trust or a Multi Academy Trust) Academies are funded directly from central government through the Trust The Trust become the employer The Trust hold the academy to account for their performance, with the Trustees ultimately accountable The Trust supports academies to improve teaching and learning

Why seek to become an academy? For Heritage High School: Successive “Requires Improvement” judgements – Ofsted March 2013, March 2015 Improvements at Key Stage 4, but not at a fast enough pace Difficulties in identifying effective, willing local partner schools within LA Central Government announcement in April 2016 – “all schools to become academies” Warning letter from the Regional Schools Commissioner – May 2016 Desire to form strong partnerships to develop teaching and learning We know what we need to do to improve outcomes

How has the school prepared to become an academy? Through 2015-2016 the Headteacher and School Business Manager actively researched potential partners and informal meetings took place Autumn 2016: Full Governing Body (FGB) gave clear direction on the type of Trust they believed would benefit Heritage High School in our drive to improve Meetings held with the LA who have actively supported our search HT and SBM identified a small number of potential Trusts Meetings held with DfE to discuss potential Trusts and methods of conversion Contact was made with each, and information fed back to the FGB Narrowed down to one Trust Applied in December 2016 to join The Two Counties Trust as a sponsored academy

Why The Two Counties Trust? Small, but a growing Trust Currently: Ashfield School, Nottinghamshire Selston High School, Nottinghamshire Swanwick Hall School, Derbyshire The Manor Academy, Nottinghamshire Local not national Capacity to support Heritage High School Formed from strong schools with track record of success Already seeing benefit from school to school support with Ashfield School Allows teachers to work collaboratively with best practitioners to improve further More effective planning and strategic development

What won’t change because of academy status? School uniform School/academy name & logo School rules The school day There will be changes over the forthcoming months, but these are due to already planned, school led management decisions. These changes are not because of academy status.

What will change because of academy status? No longer LA officers working in school to support Colleagues from academies within The Two Counties Trust will be seen in school to support teaching and learning Teaching standards will improve

The Two Counties Trust Mr R Vasey Headteacher at Ashfield School, Notts Chief Executive Officer of The Two Counties Trust