Why are we looking to become an academy?
What is an Academy? Academy schools are state funded schools in England, which are directly funded by central government (specifically, the Department for Education) and independent of direct funding and control by the Local Authority. Education is still provided free to students.
Are all academies the same? There are many different types of academy. For example, some schools have become single academies independently; others have joined together with other schools to form a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) whilst others have joined larger groups and organisations, often known as academy chains. Different academies have a variety of school improvement and governance arrangements.
Why are we considering converting to an academy now? Many schools nationally are choosing to take advantage of academy status as well as those who are having to move to academy status as the Department for Education has identified that they are in need of additional support. As governors, we have a responsibility to monitor the national, regional and local education position to ensure that we are able to make the correct decisions when setting the direction of our school. As such we have been monitoring the growth of academies and gathering as much information as possible to allow us to assess whether this would be a consideration for our school. We have been in discussion with Odyssey about joining their Trust and it is felt that now is the right time to take this forward.
Are any other schools in our local area academies? Griffe Field Primary and St Peter’s Junior School are both members of DDAT Multi Academy Trust, a large trust with schools in Derby and Derbyshire. Many (but not all) of its schools are faith schools. Carlyle Infant School is part of the Harmony Trust, as are Village Primary School, just off Stenson Road. The Harmony Trust are based in Oldham but have a hub of Derby-based schools all over the city. St George’s Primary School, just along the jitty, is part of the St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which was set up to preserve, maintain and develop Catholic education in the areas served by their academies, and is one of three Multi Academy Trusts within the Diocese of Nottingham. Derby Moor Secondary School is now part of the Spencer Academy chain, based in Nottingham.
When will the changes take place? The process is a complicated one and will take some time to complete. If we go ahead, then we are aiming to make the final decision later this term. We are hoping for a possible conversion date in the summer term but this may change depending on the completion of other steps in the process.
What day-to-day changes will happen?
Will a move to academy status mean a new name for the school? The school will continue to be called Gayton Junior School. Other schools that have chosen to become academies with Odyssey have also chosen to retain their existing names.
Will a proposed new academy have a new uniform? Parents will not need to buy a new uniform.
Will holidays and INSET days change? Odyssey schools maintain Derby City term dates and schools choose their own INSET days, with one Trust-wide INSET day. We would look to align our INSET days still with Ridgeway.
What will be the impact on our children with special needs? There will be no change to the level of support provided. Gayton Junior School will continue to recognise that every child has the right to be included as a valued, respected and equal member of the school community.
Will the school hours be any different as an academy? Although it is highly unlikely that the school day will be changed, it is the decision of the Odyssey Collaborative Trust Board to decide this as they have the power to do so. This decision is usually delegated to the local governing board of an academy, so there is no real change from our authority in this regard. No change is envisaged.
Will pupils’ education be disrupted by a transition to academy status? When an academy is approved to go ahead, it will do so with minimal disruption to the staff and students. Most of the changes will take place behind the scenes with support from a dedicated team from Odyssey, who have gone through this process before with other schools.
If we move to being an academy will this change what is taught? We would be expected to continue to offer the full range of National Curriculum OFSTED continue to inspect academies and their handbook for inspection is the same one as used in any other school. There will be no change in what or how pupils are taught as a direct result of academisation.
Will the Board of Governors have less authority and control? The composition and powers of the Board of Governors will be set out in a formal ‘Scheme of Delegation’ which allows the Odyssey board to delegate responsibilities to the Local Governing Board. There will continue to be Parent Governors on the Governing Board (as at present), together with Foundation Governors and a Staff Governor as well. That said, Odyssey may appoint additional governors, such as governors provided from the local community, and may step in if the Board of Governors is not performing its duties effectively. Our School and Governing Board have considerable freedom and responsibility to take commercial and strategic decisions without recourse to the Local Authority and this will not change substantially following conversion to an academy.
What will it mean for our school finances?
How is an academy funded? In maintained schools, all revenue funding (building funding is slightly different) goes directly to the Local The Local Authority (LA) takes a proportion of the money from the school budget to provide essential services to the school and the rest is delegated under the Local Management of Schools. Schools can, and do, buy additional services from the LA and other providers. As a result, schools currently depend upon the local authority for many services such as school improvement, HR, finance, etc. Academies receive a similar level of per-pupil funding as maintained schools. With Odyssey, the money that would have been provided to the LA to run the school is provided directly to Odyssey which does retain some of the budget in order to provide services to the academy. Local authorities fund their core services in a similar way.
Does this improve on current funding arrangements? Converting to an academy will not be to our detriment financially. However, any decision is not motivated by money. We will have opportunities to support other schools and to benefit financially from doing so. In addition, the Odyssey Board has access to capacity funding from the Department for Education as well as capital funding on an annual basis.
What will this mean for Teachers and Staff?
What are the Terms and Conditions for staff? On conversion to academy status teachers and staff employed by Derby City Council will transfer with the same terms and conditions, via a formal TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) process. In addition, conversion will not affect any union membership.
Who will employ teachers and staff following conversion? At present Derby City Council employs teachers and staff at Gayton Junior School. Following conversion, teachers and staff will be employed directly by Odyssey.
What will this mean for standards?
Does Odyssey have the capacity to support our educational standards? Odyssey has established its own school improvement capacity for those schools choosing to become an academy which includes a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and School Improvement Collectively, the team is experienced and qualified to support and challenge schools in data analysis, teaching, behaviour management, safeguarding, pupils’, moral, social and cultural development, special educational needs and disabilities, and leadership and management. The school improvement package will include support and challenge for governance and the team are able to draw on further support from National Leaders in Governance as appropriate.
How will an academy raise achievement? The whole structure of Odyssey Collaborative Trust has been designed to challenge and support schools in equal measure. We would receive a specified number of days of school improvement support from a school improvement professional. This is more than we currently receive from the LA. These visits are not inspections but an opportunity for senior leaders to benchmark their judgments through shared lesson observation, work scrutiny, analysis of data, supported self-evaluation and school improvement planning.
Indeed, the outcome of these visits will confirm the development state of the school. As would be expected, Odyssey will rapidly provide additional support and positive intervention in any of their schools that are underperforming or on a downward trajectory based on OFSTED criteria.
