WIMBORNE ACADEMY TRUST - PROPOSAL. Welcome to Colehill FirstSchool Colehill First School

WIMBORNE ACADEMY TRUST - PROPOSAL


Welcome to Colehill FirstSchool

Colehill First School


Our vision for the future of education across our schools


Our Proposal

Wimborne Academy

Trust

Colehill First School


Why a formal Partnership?History of positive working together that we can build

uponTo share staff & expertise, train

together, improve further

Common catchment area /

families in multiple schools

Take advantage of changes in

education system to become leaders

in our field

Keep control of education locallyand develop the Teaching School

Alliance

Access more funds and adapt to reducing budgets

to ‘deliver more for the same’

Share resources & generate

efficiencies giving us more to spend on the children

Preserve the church and

community ethos while sharing the

diversity

The children benefit from us being Stronger

Together


What it means for our schoolsChildren• An ‘all through’ learning journey – strengthen

transition between phases• Access to wider peer groups• Access to greater learning resources• To improve teaching and learning

opportunities across all schools for all children

• Strengthen their links to the wider world

Staff• Ability to achieve more ambitious and better

outcomes for all our pupils• Greater opportunities for staff development• Access to greater learning resources• Sharing best practice, subject leadership and

distributed leadership• All staff employed by the Trust• Opportunities to work in others schools• Opportunities within the Teaching School

alliance

Community and Governance• To continue to work with the Diocese• To continue to be a part of the local community• Local governance at the Trust and school level • Shared policies • Shared buying power to save money & release more funds for Teaching & learning


Size

StructureStatus

Style

Sharingc. 1900 children

c. 250 staffc. £7.5m revenue

c. £30m+ asset value

All schools good or outstanding in latest

Ofsted Inspection

Governance based on skills,

For the benefit of all.

Friendly rivalry AND sharing best

practice.

Every school to embrace its unique

ethos and construction.

Why we can be successful


A Multi Academy Trust modelDiocesan Board of

Education (DBE)

Diocese of Salisbury Education Trust (DSET)

Wimborne Academy Trust

Witchampton VA First

SoS funding agreement

St Michael’s VA Middle

Hayeswood First

Allenbourn Middle

ColehillFirst

MerleyFirst

St John’s VC First

Schools become academies within the Trust with their own leaders and governors

Trust leadership

LGBs will have appropriate Foundation representation to reflect their VA/VC/C status

Colehill’s local Governing Body will retain its community status


Local Governing Bodies (min 9 Governors)

The Proposed Governance of the TrustTrust Members (5)

Diocesan Foundation Members x 2Non-CofE Members x 2Chair of the Trust Board

Board of Trustees (9 - min 50% Foundation)Elected Chairs from the 7 academies x 2

Skill based Trustees appointed by the Members x 6Chief Exec of the Trust

(Elected head – non voting)(Finance Director non-voting)

Skills based Board selected from existing school Governing Bodies where available:-

• Finance• Company management• Educationalist• HR/ Personnel• Legal• Assets• PR /Comms

Each school to retain a Local Governing Body with significant delegated responsibility


The Academy Trust Governance rolesA charitable company limited by guarantee

MembersAgree the articles which define the charitable purpose and how the AT will run

Appoint some trustees and power to remove trustees

Sign off company accounts and annual report

Power to amend Articles

Hold Board of Trustees to account

TrusteesCompany directors and charitable trustees responsible for operation of the Academy Trust, including:

The 3 core functions common to all governing bodies

Set Strategic Direction

Create Robust Accountability

Ensuring Best Use of Financial Resources

Ensuring compliance with charity and company law and Funding Agreement agreed with SoS

Local GovernorsResponsibilities delegated from the trustees to support the running of the individual academy - empowered to do so by a “Scheme of Delegation”.

Core focus on:Academic performance

Local community and stakeholders

Other delegated functions as agreed

Reports back regularly to the Directors enabling them to monitor the Academy’s performance


What stays the same• The three tier system of education• Our children’s teachers and our staff• Our school’s name and ethos• Our school’s status as a Community school• The school day and terms• Our School uniform• Our admissions criteria and catchment areas • Each school would still be bound by the statutory codes for Special

Educational Needs

• We will continue to have our own local governing body as will the other schools

• We value our relationships with other local schools and these will not change


What does it mean for Colehill First?We keep all the great things about our school:• We keep our name and uniform• We keep our school values and ethos• We keep our great Head and staff, who will be employed by the

new Trust

… and we benefit from:• Formal collaboration and support, to spot and share the best

ideas and approaches• Shared training and career development opportunities• Shared purchasing and contracts, to save money• Strong oversight• Protecting our three-tier system in Wimborne


Project Key phases• Key stages

– Academy applications & respond to DfE queries– Academy orders granted – Establish Governance and Operational leadership plans – School performance evaluation and improvement planning– Communication and consultation – Financial due diligence and planning– Set up the Trust– Action land transfer and leases– Action contract novations and changes– Staff TUPE transfers– Develop processes and systems


Project TimelineFrom September 2014 to February 1st 2015• Academy Applications submitted end of April• Draft school Improvement Strategy developed• Academy Order approved August 2014• Development Governance and leadership model from October –

November 2014• Consultation window from October- November 2014• TUPE transfer process window from October 2014 – January 2015• Legal Trust development and conversion work up to late January 2015• December/January – key Governing Body and Trust Board decision

meetings• January 2015 secure Funding Agreements• February 1st 2015 – Conversion date and complete TUPE transfers


Project delivered through a series of work-streams


What are the risks?• We are 7 schools joining together which means there may be times when we don’t see

eye to eye– and so we may need to compromise on some aspects for the benefit of all

• There is a cost to the set-up of the Trust in both time and money– we aim to use the DfE grants available to fund this

• We are one of the first of this size, we are being innovative and so not all the processes we need to go through have been proven– but we get to develop them and be leaders in this field and we have secured

external advisors to help guide us • We understand some of our staff may be concerned about the changes and what it

means for them– We have bought in external experienced advisors to help to ensure the TUPE

transfer is carried out effectively and that all staff are supported• The Trust will be a large company and we must get the governance and leadership right

– We are working with experts in their field and with the DfE to ensure we create the Trust in the right way


Size

StructureStatus

Style

Sharing

c. 1900 childrenc. 250 staff

c. £7.5m revenuec. £30m+ asset value

All schools good or outstanding in latest

Ofsted Inspection

Governance based on skills,

For the benefit of all.

Friendly rivalry AND sharing best

practice.

Every school to embrace its unique

ethos and construction.

Wimborne Academy TrustGrowing from great foundations


Why should Colehill First join the new Wimborne Academy Trust?

• It’s the best way to thrive in the new educational landscape

• It’s the best way to preserve what’s great about Colehill First School

• It’s the best way to improve where we’d like to get better

• It’s the best way to make maximum use of our budget

… to create the best education for every pupil, from when they enter Reception to when they leave Middle School.


The children benefit from us being Stronger

Together


Questions & Comments

If you have further questions or points of view, these can be sent to:

[email protected]

Or alternatively send in your feedback on the forms supplied

We want to hear your views

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

WIMBORNE ACADEMY TRUST - PROPOSAL. Welcome to Colehill FirstSchool Colehill First School