Academies- an overview

The national picture at 1 May… 5302 open academies in England - 3696 converters and 1606 sponsored. This includes: 3046 primary schools (2079 converters and 967 sponsored) 2023 secondary schools (1428 converters and 595 sponsored) 178 special schools (147 converters and 31 sponsored) 55 alternative provision (42 converters and 13 sponsored)

4% of N Yorks primary schools 30% of N Yorks secondary schools The picture at 1 May… 28 open academies 15 primary 11 secondary 2 special/alt provision Equating to… 4% of N Yorks primary schools 30% of N Yorks secondary schools

Headlines from the White Paper We remain committed to a school led system where all schools are academies by 2022, however, there will be no legislation to compel Good and Outstanding schools in strong local authorities to convert. No change to the policy of converting schools that are underperforming and/or placed in an Ofsted ‘Inadequate’ category. Rural schools - we expect that many will benefit from joining multi-academy Trusts (MATs) to develop sustainable partnerships. Extra funding will be provided for rural schools to do so- further details TBC. Statutory proposals against the closure of rural schools, cases for closure will need to be strong, with agreement of both national and local government.

RSC vision for the future... . . . working together we can develop a school led, self-improving system that … makes the North a great place to learn and succeed; ensures every child is able to attend a high performing academy or free school (in Ofsted terms); makes sure the most effective leaders in education in our region have more impact on the life chances of more children. Jan Renou, Regional Schools Commissioner (RSC) for the North

How do we do this? Local ownership and school led system. Collaboration and sustainability through the MAT model. Leadership in self-managing, self-improving structures. Sharing good practice across and beyond each school. Derived economies to reinvest in teaching and learning.

Some things to think about… What are we good at that we could share with other schools with credibility? What aspects of our performance need to be improved? What are the current relationships and partnerships that we would not want to lose? What services could we access more easily to build greater educational capacity if we were in a MAT arrangement? Are we strong enough to lead a MAT or do we join an existing MAT?

The conversion process GB makes resolution to convert Submit application (online) RSC decision – Academy Order Due diligence & legal work Sign Funding Agreement Open as an Academy Consultation can be carried out at any point but must be completed before the Funding Agreement is signed. Conversion process takes around 4-5 months

Andrew.george@education.gsi.gov.uk 0114 2742500 Christopher.brien@education.gsi.gov.uk 01325 340449