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Converting to an Academy

Supporting your school with knowledgeable, flexible and affordable

professional services through and beyond the conversion process

Hartismere School“Hartismere School became the first Academy in Suffolk converting in September 2010. From the very offset Schools’ Choice were our supporting partner guiding us through the process on every level. Their expert in-depth knowledge helped us to make informed decisions, implement a new finance database, and set up policies and procedures ensuring the transition was as smooth as possible.

On a day to day basis the helpline provides a professional, efficient back-up at an instant. The toolkits provided by Schools’ Choice are an essential part of our budget monitoring, medium term planning and accounts preparation procedures. The friendly and reliable service we have received for the last 5 years, and continue to receive, from Schools’ Choice is an invaluable part of the financial management of our School.”

Debbie EbbageDirector of FinanceTel: 01379 870315ebbaged@hartismere.com

Why choose

Schools’ Choice?

Schools’ Choice have guided many schools through the Academy conversion process and provided impartial advice on the advantages and disadvantages to many more. We are able to support and guide you through all of the requirements of conversion, ensuring that statutory requirements are met, helping establish systems to ensure a smooth transition and the effective operation of your new academy.

Our teams have a very broad knowledge of the operational and managerial requirements of the education sector. Over the years we have developed subject matter expertise in every aspect of our service portfolio and we can also call upon additional expertise from our partners whose know-how supplements our own, to make up a fully rounded service for you.

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Our experienceWe are able to offer the following specific knowledge and skills to support you with the conversion process and ongoing support:

Project management and business planning: Strategic organisational business planning to assist you in forming and building your academy trust for the future.

Finance and business management: All aspects of financial management specifically for academy trusts including procurement and implementation of a trust financial system, training across the functional use of academy finance systems and technical accounting skills, budgeting, accountancy support, internal audit.

HR: Practical advice and support in managing all aspects of operational people management, including performance, absence, conduct and employee complaints. In addition, we provide bespoke strategic HR support in the development of Trustwide employment policies, senior and middle leadership training and development; attracting and retaining talent including developing opportunities for staff to work in the other schools in the Trust, and creating effective consultative arrangements with employee representatives.

Governance: We are able to advise schools going through the academisation process on governance structures, good practice and legal requirements. We are also able to offer development sessions to governing bodies on identifying the skills and experience they will need going forward at Trust and Local Governing Body levels, establishing effective governance and creating a code of conduct.

Legal: We work in collaboration with Stone King solicitors. Their teams have been working with schools on academy conversion since 2002 and have supported over 700 schools in this process since then. They have considerable specific experience in working with hard federations in the transition to Multi Academy Trust status.

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Our ApproachOur ethos is to work in close partnership with schools throughout the process but at the same time we can undertake as much or as little as you want us to.

There are four stages to the programme:

1. Consultation2. Preparing for conversion3. Managing the conversion 4. Ongoing support following conversion

At each stage we will detail the specific activities, timings and resources required. We would then review the programme of work with you to identify the activities that you would like support with. This approach enables you to stay in control of the process, targeting our experience and skills at the areas that you need most and keeping costs to a minimum. The more closely we work with you, the more efficient we can be in delivering a number of these tasks due to the interdependencies of this work.

Samuel Ward Multi Academy Trust“A high quality consistent service at a fair price… the culture is supportive, flexible and responsive to specific needs and we would unreservedly endorse their work.”

Howard Lay Chief Executive OfficerTel: 01440 761511HLay@samuelward.co.uk

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Ongoing support following conversion

Managing theconversion

Preparing forconversion

Strategic SupportImpartialAdvice Project Management

Strategic Support

Consultation

Organisational transformation

• Develop trust leadership models

• Strategic workforceplanning,

successionplanning & talentmanagement

• Leadership recruitment

• Review and harmonise keypolicies

Compliance with Education Funding Agency and other regulatory requirements

Operating finance systems and managing your balance sheet

Budgeting and reporting including the management of central budgets

Annual accounts preparation and Annual Accounts Return

Assessing the options

Looking at potential Academy structures

Governance- roles and responsibilities

Consultation with stakeholders

Submit application

Commission advisers - banking, legal, insurance

Design governance and operational structure

Design of new finance functions

Start TUPE process

Finalise governance structure

Finalise leasing arrangements for buildings and land

Complete TUPE process

Implementation of new finance systems

Communications programme

Operational Support

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Becoming an academy or a multi academy trust (MAT) involves complex decisions, which may have far-reaching, long-term implications for your school. In this first stage you will want to explore all the options available to you by gathering as much information as possible including case study examples of how other schools have approached similar challenges on their academisation journey.

We will offer you our impartial advice in the following areas of discussion:

• What are the advantages and disadvantages of becoming an academy?

• What are the characteristics of an effective Academy trust?

• What are the different models for an Academy trust?

• How do we structure the most appropriate Governance arrangements and what are the roles and responsibilities?

• How do we engage our stakeholders - staff, parents and other appropriate groups - in the discussion?

There is an enormous amount of information available to schools from many different sources arguing the case for and against academisation.

Our role is to help explain academisation and provide you with the impartial information you need to help make the right choice for your school.

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ConsultationThe DfE’s 2016 white paper, entitled Educational Excellence Everywhere, set out plans for all schools to be academies or be in the process to convert by the end of 2020. However, on 6 May 2016 the DfE released a statement saying that while the government remains committed to every school becoming an academy, it will not bring forward legislation to require “blanket conversion of all schools”.

The DfE’s guide for schools about converting to an academy says schools that are performing well can convert on their own. Schools that are not performing well can convert as part of a group of schools (an academy chain) or with the support of a sponsor.

Like maintained schools academies must follow the law and guidance on:

• Admissions • Exclusions • Special educational needs and disabilities

(SEND).

However the DfE policy says that academies have more freedoms than maintained schools. These include:

• Being independent from local authority (LA) control

• The ability to set pay and conditions for their staff

• Deciding how to deliver the curriculum • The ability to change the length of terms.

Academy funding is based on the principle of equivalence. This means that academies receive the same level of per-pupil funding as they would receive from the LA as maintained schools. Academies receive their funding directly from the Education Funding Agency (EFA), rather than from LAs.

Preparing for conversionAt this stage Schools’ Choice is able to provide expertise in project management to guide you through the various stages required by the Department for Education (DfE) in submitting your application for academy status and to begin the process of academisation.

Schools will have already registered their interest in becoming an academy and a DfE named contact will have been appointed to help guide the school through the process.

When Governors pass a resolution in favour of becoming an academy and submit an application to the DfE this will trigger a number of actions that will help prepare the school for conversion:

• Appointment of professional advisers in banking, legal advice, insurance and finance

• The design of the governance and operational structure

• The re-design of the finance function

• The start of the TUPE process

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Managing the conversionOnce the Secretary of State has approved the school proposal the project management team will work closely with you as the school moves from design to practical implementation.

This includes:

• Finalising governance structure

• Registration of the Trust at Companies House

• Finalising leasing arrangements for the transfer of school buildings and land

• Completing the TUPE process

• New financial systems and contracts

• Communications programme

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Ongoing support Once a school has become an academy, Schools’ Choice can move from project management to one which offers both strategic and operational support. We have developed a number of programmes that enable new Trusts to grow and thrive.

Strategic HR Our service supports academy trusts to address key strategic HR issues on an organisation - wide basis, with help and support from our team of senior HR professionals.

As part of your trust’s continuing growth plans, we can support you to:

• Develop trust leadership models with clear accountabilities and job descriptions

• Review key employment policies to align with your trust’s objectives and priorities

• Develop a consistent approach to performance management through the development and delivery of a clear programme of training

• Design and develop effective trust consultative arrangements with employee representatives.

Key benefitsAs your strategic HR partner, we will:

• Bring our experience and expertise to the development and alignment of your HR strategy with your trust’s wider educational priorities

• Help you build confidence and resilience in your middle and senior leaders by developing and delivering effective, tailored programmes of training

• Give you hands-on support to put your strategy into action and help you keep it under regular review.

Workforce PlanningThe aim of strategic workforce planning is to help you shape and manage your workforce to meet future challenges, by developing flexible, capable and future-ready employees. We can support you to assess where you are now, where you want to be and what you need to do to get there.

Succession Planning & Talent Management Succession planning aims to secure effective leadership throughout the school hierarchy, with a plan extending into the future to cope with anticipated and potentially unexpected changes in senior personnel.

Leadership RecruitmentRecruiting the Head teacher or Principal is a crucial responsibility for the governing body, yet the demands of this vital process go well beyond the usual strategic input required of governors. This is where our Schools’ Choice HR strategic service comes in – using a consultative approach and drawing upon your knowledge of the school; we manage an efficient and effective recruitment campaign leaving you free to focus on making the key selection decisions.

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Avocet Academy Trust“I wouldn’t hesitate to endorse the support from Schools’ Choice in setting up systems, structures and processes to enable our multi academy trust to meet its new responsibilities. The support and advice has been invaluable. In the first year of conversion you need a lot of extra support whilst new systems and processes are embedded and I am confident that we will only need limited, targeted support in future years.”

Jill Hardy Business LeaderTelephone: 01728 746405business.leader@avocetacademy.org

Ongoing support - Business ServicesStrategic Business PartnerThe responsibilities involved with running the business elements of an academy trust can sometimes be daunting, even for the most experienced school leaders and staff. The support of a business partner can lighten the workload, lessen your financial burdens and accelerate the improvement of outcomes of academies within your trust. Our Business partner team have over 20 years of leadership experience in the delivery of significant change projects in the public and education sector, and are academically accredited project management professionals.

Business Management ServiceFor many schools, business managers lead critical portfolio responsibilities that supplement and complement the skills of other school leaders - often across multiple sites. Whether it’s a bespoke project, embedding a new business process, or providing interim support; it can be challenging for a school to balance a breadth of projects and responsibilities with the limited available resources and support in school.

Our service provides ongoing structured support that is tailored to your unique needs that will add tangible value across the full range of business manager activity for short term projects or longer term cover. We also offer a schools office review service that can identify improvements as a means of increasing the efficiency of your support functions.

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The Core finance service provides regular information and updates on managing your financial responsibilities and best practice guidelines including alerts and solutions as statutory requirements change. The service is delivered through our finance support team, our helpline available by telephone and email and online. This service provides invaluable support for the Principal Finance Officer in your trust with ready-made solutions advice and support.

• Access to finance support team Our support team have gained an excellent reputation not only for their subject matter expertise but also the user friendly and supportive way in which they work in partnership with their customers.

• Unlimited support from our helpline The helpline is available during working hours Monday to Friday by email or telephone. Our experienced team is able to offer support and guidance with any queries you may have. The team are not only experts on academy finance systems but are also academy finance specialists so their answers will ensure you are compliant with the accounting regulations.

• Access to Ask Schools’ Choice knowledgebase Our continuously updated knowledgebase and latest news is available to you 24/7 and ensures that key deadlines and information are not missed.

• Access to our suite of toolkits including our working papers and lead schedules and accounts preparation toolkits The suite includes a wide range of toolkits designed to work with market leading finance software to streamline financial processes while meeting statutory DfE, Charity SORP, VAT and Company House requirements.

• Secure remote access to your system, so we can see what you can when we are supporting your team

• Potential savings on your audit fees

• Access to PSF accredited and quality assured training at a reduced rate

Finance service Our finance service offers academy trusts a broad range of specialised expertise and support to help ensure compliance with Education Funding Agency and regulatory requirements.

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We’re responsive and flexible As you’ll understand, there’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the needs of running a school or academy. That’s why our service portfolio is based on partnership working, so that we talk with you, and we listen, to understand exactly what your school requires – and we tailor our products and services to meet your requirements exactly.

We’re cost effective and innovativeWe have an ethos of continual improvement at Schools’ Choice. For us, it’s not enough to merely tweak what we did last year. We continually challenge and improve our range of products and services, so that each time you pick up the phone you know you’re getting the most up-to-date and effective service from our skilled and well-trained teams.

Working across seven service areas we support all aspects of educational management in schools.

We’re based in Suffolk and our customers - schools and academies – are located locally, regionally and nationally. Our customers give us consistently excellent feedback on the services we provide, and they rely on us to deliver for three reasons:

We have extensive knowledgeOur teams have a very broad knowledge of the operational and managerial requirements of the education sector. Over the years we’re proud to have appointed subject matter experts in every aspect of our service portfolio; and we have the additional expertise of partners whose know-how supplements our own, to make up a fully-rounded service for you.

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We provide services in the following areas:

Education and Learning We provide support to help raise standards and challenge performance.

Children’s Services We offer support to help you achieve the best for all pupils from supporting

participation and quality assurance, to managing behaviour and dealing with educational appeals.

Governor Services We are able to assist and support

governors, including head teachers, sothey’re highly effective in their roles, tailoring services to perfectly suit your school.

Human Resources We offer professional and innovative HR

services to help you recruit, manage anddevelop your people.

Finance We offer an extensive range of finance

support from transactional services toadvice, strategic planning and on-site support.

ICT We offer responsive and knowledgeable

ICT support so your school and students,get the very best out of your technology investment.

Business Services We provide ongoing structured support

that is tailored to your unique needs.

T: 0300 123 1420 I E: services@schoolschoice.org I www.schoolschoice.org

Schools’ Choice, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, Suffolk,IP1 2BX