The vision for an increasingly academised system Frank Green CBE, Schools Commissioner

Creating the new education system for England Frank Green Schools commissioner

The Challenge Goal: an education system where, more quickly, more children achieve much more Too much resistance to the changes that are being and have been introduced over many years – from many LAs and from much of the profession It is their future not ours that we have to craft

Need for Transformation? “A technological revolution is engulfing the school … it will transform the way we learn and way we teach within a few decades”. – Peter Drucker 1996 “ In a few hundred years, when the history of our time will be written from a long-term perspective, it is likely that the most important event historians will see is not technology, not the Internet, not e- commerce. It is an unprecedented change in the human condition. For the first time - literally - substantial and rapidly growing numbers of people have choices. For the first time, they will have to manage themselves. And society is totally unprepared for it." (Drucker 2000)

Perspective Increasing numbers of academies and Free Schools 60%+ of Secondary c14% of Primary Where by 2015? Maybe 75% and 25%? Heading toward a full academy-based system Why? Academies improve much faster than LA schools – 12.5% compared to 5% over 3 years

Transformation We want a self-managing, self-improving system Fundamental pillar is academy schools with good sponsors and great educational leaders Academies succeed because they have the autonomy, power and opportunity to set their own direction. We want more schools to benefit from the freedoms that have driven up performance and made academies so successful. The Government believes that teachers and headteachers, not politicians and bureaucrats, should control schools and have more power over how they are run.

Transformation We think that academies in Trusts or hard Federations do better than those standing alone Trusts in geographical proximity also appear to be better able to influence the whole community These leaders increasingly become leaders of the community, not just in education

As the popularity of the academies programme grows, we need to consider how the system should evolve… With the success of the academies programme there has been speculation about how the system should evolve to respond to growing numbers. Within Government and the education sector there is a growing consensus that: –decision making should lie closer to academies; –outstanding education leaders should have a stronger role in shaping a system, and; –we should balance robust intervention for struggling schools - with genuine freedom and autonomy for those performing well.

Eight RSCs will be appointed to begin their role for the next academic year (around August/September this year) RSCs will take decisions about academies at the regional level, on behalf of the Secretary of State. They will be civil servants appointed through open competition, operating within a national policy framework. We expect the best candidates to be outstanding educational leaders who will bring expertise, regional knowledge and will want to shape their agenda. We launched recruitment in December and have a strong field of applicants. Interviews are currently being held and we aim to appoint by early April. 10 We are evolving the DfE’s relationship with academies through appointing Regional Schools Commissioners…

Each RSC will be advised, supported and challenged by a board of around six outstanding academy headteachers or experienced educational leaders. The majority of the headteacher boards will be elected by academy heads in the region. Heads of outstanding academies will be eligible to stand for election and the elections will be held in the Summer. We expect that each professional on the Headteacher Boards will dedicate around half a day per week to support the work of the RSC. Each RSC will also be supported by a small office of civil servants in each region, who will act as an interface between the RSCs and central DfE. 11 Each RSC will be supported by a headteacher board and a small office in each region…

RSCs and their boards will have four key roles… 1)Monitoring performance of academies and tackling academy underperformance in their region : –applying the DfE framework for intervention and helping academies secure the best routes to school improvement. 2)Taking decisions on the creation of new academies: –approving applications from maintained schools wishing to convert; and –making decisions about new schools proposed by local authorities under the “academy presumption” route. 3)Ensuring that the sponsor market meets local need –supporting the national Schools Commissioner to ensure their region has a strong supply of high quality sponsors; and –proposing suitable sponsors for poorly performing maintained schools who have been selected by DfE to become sponsored academies. 4)Taking decisions on ‘significant changes’ to existing academies –encouraging academies to expand where need arises; and –approving requests from open academies for changes where these require approval from the DfE (e.g. changes of category, gender composition, joining or setting up a multi-academy trust). 12

But there are a number of things that won’t change… Accountability lines – ultimate accountability will remain with the Secretary of State, with decisions better informed by sector expertise. RSCs will have no role in relation to maintained schools. This is not about changing the role of LAs – although we’ll expect RSCs and LAs to work together and for LAs to raise concerns about academies with the RSC. DfE will continue to provide resource from Whitehall to support RSCs, including operational support to implement decisions taken by them. We expect functions such as due diligence, oversight of academy financial performance to continue to be managed by central DfE. 13

The eight regions are designed to spread education expertise and reflect an even scale of challenge for RSCs… 14 North East London & East of England South London & South East North West London & South Central South West North East Midlands & Humber West Midlands Lancashire & West Yorkshire  England is split into 8 geographically pragmatic regions of reasonable size  Reasonable spread of challenge across the RSC’s roles  London is split into three and combined with neighbouring home counties – spreading expertise  Currently looking at possible premises – mix of DfE and non DfE government buildings

This creates a first step in an evolving school system… We will work with the successful RSC candidates to further develop their role and agree priorities in their region. We will want to discuss with the RSCs how they want to work with their headteacher board and how they ensure this adds the most value. Post election we will want to consider how the system may evolve further. 15

Challenges What is the role of the LA in any future system, and the relationship to RSCs? What is Ofsted’s role on the new system? How soon can we bring it about? We need your help to change opinion and to drive the change “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” JFK

Charles Darwin

A new education system Goal: An education system where more quickly all children achieve much more In 2000, the Vision 2020 group of heads stated in their document One World One School that: “A paradigm shift is required which puts the responsibility for driving schools forward firmly in the hands of school leaders and their communities and the responsibility for learning firmly in the hands of our students. It also involves radical re-thinking of what a school is, where it is located and what it does.”

A new education system We are building the airports and air traffic control system, can you build the planes? Together we can now make the academy system a reality Frank Green Schools commissioner