© NGA Converting to an academy - Practical considerations Forum of Sutton Governors Philip Wood, NGA’s Advice Manager

© NGA What we’re going to cover First steps Things to think about – –single or –multi-school Difference in a sponsored setting Further info

© NGA First Steps Strategic Review –Where are we now? –Where do we want to be in 3-5 years time? –How do we get there? Decisions should aid strategic aims

© NGA Single school or group Overriding concern must be education of children – what will improve this – would a group arrangement help? Practical considerations Possible partners - geographical location - options? Is everyone on board? Capacity to improve another school Sustainability Will small schools be sustainable in the future? Primary academies?

© NGA Single Academy Trust Where is the school in relation to Ofsted? Can you go alone? Impact on outcomes – what will this be? Financial expertise – do you have SBM with the requisite skills Financial sustainability for the next 3-5 years (Education Support Grant reducing) Reviewing governance

© NGA Advantages of Groups Can improve governance –Possibly easier to focus on strategic –Easier benchmarking – for example financial information between the academies. Wider benefits to schools –Shared expertise across schools –Better curriculum offer –Joint procurement

© NGA Practicalities How are you going to form a group? How do you choose partners? Structure of senior leadership team? Size of board/composition/structure of governance? Due diligence

© NGA Governance Structures – Key things to think about -Strategic plan -Communication -Delegation -Committees -Composition

© NGA Delegation in MAT Legal responsibility rests with Directors/charitable trustees of the academy trust Can delegate decisions down to committees or local governing bodies/advisory boards What is delegated is up to the academy trust board Processes for election/appointments/removal of local board governors/council members need to be recorded

© NGA Sponsored Academies? ‘Sponsored’ to convert by another organisation – increasingly other schools Delegation of authority Role of governing body in process - consultation? - choose sponsor?

© NGA Working with Sponsors Depends on sponsor – what is the local board’s responsibility/role? Communication key Rise of smaller groups – More flexible? Earned autonomy?

© NGA Being a sponsor Biggest group of sponsors is now other schools School improvement and governance capacity? Impact on existing provision? Due diligence?

© NGA Next Steps Governor working party? Where are we now – self evaluation Think strategically – where do we want to be in 3-5 years Think about structures - how things would work in practice – ‘Why’ first – then ‘How’

© NGA Further Information NGA/Browne Jacobson – Introduction to Multi-Academy Trusts - Conference/Introduction-to-MATs.pdf.aspx Conference/Introduction-to-MATs.pdf.aspx NGA/ASCL/Browne Jacobson – Leading and Governing a group of schools - constitution/Academies-and-free-schools/Leading-and-Governing-Groups- of-Schools-final.aspxhttp:// constitution/Academies-and-free-schools/Leading-and-Governing-Groups- of-Schools-final.aspx NCTL – Governance in Multi Academy Trusts - Conference/NCS1554_MATsResource_Mar14_FINAL.pdf.aspx Conference/NCS1554_MATsResource_Mar14_FINAL.pdf.aspx Six MAT profiles - events/IAA-National-Conference/MAT-Profiles-smaller-size.pdf.aspxhttp:// events/IAA-National-Conference/MAT-Profiles-smaller-size.pdf.aspx

© NGA Continued… NGA research into Federations, The Road to Federation - practice/The-Road-to-Federation.aspx practice/The-Road-to-Federation.aspx NfER – Academies: It’s time to learn the lessons -

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