Key themes for the next five years

Conservative Party Manifesto 2015

Our predictions for the next five years – four key themes

• increase in school improvement interventions

• increase in powers of Regional School Commissioners

• increase in MATs

• increase in academies.

Increase in powers of Regional School Commissioners

System introduced September 2014 to address the ‘middle tier’ issue and restore some local accountability

“an important shifting of operational decision making”

DFE appointed eight commissioners to act on behalf of the SoS and providing a link between the DfE and academies and free schools.

RSCs responsible for approving new academies and intervening in underperforming academies and free schools in their area NB no remit in relation to maintained schools

RSCs are accountable to the national Schools Commissioner, Frank Green

Each RSC supported by a HTB of 6 to 8 experienced academy headteachers and other sector leaders – elected, appointed and co-opted

RSC regional network

RSC’s – latest developments

15 June 2015 – Lord Nash writes to Directors of Children’s Services

From 1 July RSCs will be given additional delegated powers extending their remit so that they can intervene in under-performing maintained schools and convert them into academies under a sponsor.

“Now that RSCs are embedded, this is a logical extension of their role, given the responsibilities they already have for academy conversion and open academies. This change represents the next step to creating a more regionalised system. Decisions will be taken locally by RSCs, with the advice and challenge from the experienced professional leaders represented on their head teacher board… I urge you to work with them in a spirit of cooperation so that we can all ensure that young people in your local are receive the high quality of education they deserve.”

Increase in MATs

Increase in MATs

Increase in MATs

• MATs will be required to have a regional focus based around the defined RSC regional areas – new ‘cross RSC border’ MATs are unlikely to be allowed.

• very big MATs may, as a minimum, be required to reorganise into sub-MATS defined along RSC region lines

• there will be no cap on MAT size but growth of MATs will not go unchecked –a risk system put in place

• in terms of rate of expansion for MATs, ‘steady growth’ will be between one and ten conversions per 12 month rolling period

• the rate of transfer of academies between MATs will increase.

Increase in MATs

• many more MATs are going to be required to ‘house’ new convertors

• new convertors may be required to convert as ‘empty MATs’ – converting as a single academy may become difficult

• MAT projects may not be incentivised by the sort of grants that have been offered in the past.

• rather DFE/EFA expectation is that schools must recognise that MAT arrangements are a necessity for their future financial survival in terms of achieving efficiencies.

Increase in academies

DFE will target doubling academy numbers to c 10,000 over the next parliament – approximately half of all schools – tipping point? ‘Academies are just one part of the picture, and their work is complemented by thousands of excellent schools in the maintained sector.’ - Nicky Morgan, August 2014 But see RSC KPI 3ii:  “The percentage of eligible schools issued with an academy order, where in this case an ‘eligible’ school is defined as one: that is not already an academy, free school, UTC or studio school; that is not below the floor; and that is not in Ofsted inadequate category.”

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