Consultation on the proposal to become an academy and join the

Kingsbridge Educational Trust

The ProposaL

Husborne Crawley Lower School is proposing to convert to become an academy and wishes to join the Kingsbridge Educational Trust (KET). Kingsbridge Educational Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) and charitable company limited by guarantee, with sponsorship accreditation from the Department for Education (DfE). At the moment, the KET operates four schools in Milton Keynes – Oakgrove all-through school (age range 3 – 19), Kents Hill Park all-through school (age range 4 – 16), Monkston Primary School (age range 4 – 11) and Middleton Primary School (age range 4 – 11).

Under this arrangement, Husborne Crawley Lower School would be governed by KET through its board of directors, whilst retaining its own Headteacher. The school with have its own local governing body which will include elected parents and local community representatives.

The Consultation

The Governing Body of Husborne Crawley Lower School is consulting all those who it considers may have an interest in, or be affected by, the proposals. We are informing all parent/carers of the proposal, the Local Authority and other schools in the locality. We are also consulting staff and the wider community by placing the details on our website, putting notices up in the main school Reception, informing our local Member of Parliament, Local Councillors and also the local Parish Councils. Copies of this document will also be available to interested parties upon request.

We would welcome your views, whether positive or negative, on the proposal. Before converting to academy status, the Governing Body will need to make an application for an Academy Order and to obtain the consent of the DFE and the outcome of this consultation will help to inform the decision making of the Governing Body. The consultation period will run from 27^th September to 4^th November inclusive and comments must be received by the closing date. Anyone wishing to comment on the proposal should do so by submitting their comments, marked for the attention of the Chair of Governors, to chair@hclowerschool.co.uk. Alternatively, comments can be submitted in writing and either delivered by hand to the school office or sent by post, marked for the attention of the Chair of Governors, c/o Deborah Willans, Headteacher, Husborne Crawley Lower School, School Lane, Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, MK43 0UZ. Governors will take all views expressed into account before reaching their decision.

The consultation is presented in a question and answer format and we hope this gives you a good overview of the proposal and how converting to an academy and becoming part of a multi-academy trust would affect Husborne Crawley Lower School.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is an academy?

An academy is an independent, state-funded school. It still has to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools. An academy receives money direct from the government, not via the local authority. It is owned and operated by an academy trust (often a multi-academy trust, being one company operating a number of academies). Responsibility for the day-to-day running of the school is usually delegated by the Trust Board of the multi-academy trust to the Headteacher and the school is governed locally by a committee known as a local governing body. The school’s staff will transfer to the multi-academy trust and their terms and conditions are protected by employment law.

2. What is a multi-academy trust?

A multi-academy trust (MAT) is a charitable trust which is responsible for the operation of more than one academy. Husborne Crawley Lower School proposes to convert from a Local Authority maintained school into an academy within the KET multi-academy trust.

The people in charge of running the Multi-Academy Trust are the company directors, who are responsible for strategic oversight and management. They are also charity trustees and must comply with duties under company law, charity law and education law to promote the success of the academy trust. They determine the policies of the trust, monitor the effectiveness of each academy within the MAT, manage central services where appropriate and report to the Secretary of State. They work to ensure that each academy is performing to the best of its ability and gets the support it requires.

The role of the Members of the MAT is largely limited to appointing and removing directors and making key decisions such as amendments to the Articles of Association and changing the name of the academy trust.

Each of the academies in the trust usually has its own local governing body which has authority delegated to it by the Trust Board.

3. Who is already part of the KET multi-academy trust?

Oakgrove School, Kents Hill Park School, Middleton Primary School and Monkston Primary School are the four schools currently operated by KET.

4. Will Husborne Crawley Lower School retain its own identity?

Yes – Husborne Crawley Lower School will retain its own Headteacher and it will have a local governing body. It is also proposed that the school will keep its existing name and uniform.

5. What are the benefits of joining a MAT?

There are a number of benefits in joining a MAT:

· Opportunities to share expertise and best practice;

· Security of belonging to a larger organisation;

· Protection of the values, culture and uniqueness of Husborne Crawley Lower School;

· Opportunities for financial support and capital investment;

· Opportunities for teaching staff and associate staff to share good practice and to benefit from a wider Continuing Professional Development programme that adds value to the educational experience of the pupils;

· Efficiencies in administrative functions such as finance, HR and admissions which can produce cost savings, important in the current budgetary climate.

6. Why would a Local Authority maintained school want to convert to become an Academy and join a MAT?

As an Academy, we would have more flexibility in the way we run our school and direct access to the funds the Local Authority spends on our behalf. This school is, and would remain, intent on providing the best opportunities for success for every pupil. We need to consider what is in the best interests for the school and our pupils and your views are valuable and important to us.

Joining with other schools within a MAT provides opportunities for good schools to consolidate their position and enhance the educational experience for all pupils, as well as providing wider personal development opportunities for pupils and staff.

Finally, a MAT allows schools to join who may not choose to convert to academy status independently.

The benefits of joining KET in particular include:

· The security of belonging to a larger, sustainable organisation;

· The existing schools within the KET are similarly high achieving, so there is an opportunity to share best practice to each school’s benefit;

· Close geographical proximity;

· Opportunities for wider professional development opportunities for pupils and staff, simply not possible currently within such a small school;

· Opportunities to protect the uniqueness and distinctiveness of Husborne Crawley Primary School;

· Opportunities to achieve efficiencies through economies of scale and sharing resources and expertise.

7. Can other schools join the MAT at a later date?

Yes, other schools can join at a later date.

8. Is permission required?

Initially, permission to convert must be obtained from the Secretary of State for Education. A request for an Academy Order, that gives permission to convert, is in the process of being prepared.

9. If we proceed, when will the change be made?

If the proposals do go ahead, subject to all the necessary approvals, it is proposed that the new arrangements would be in place for either 1^st March 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.

10. What changes will parent/carers see?

There will be very little visible change as a direct result of becoming an academy, with the school continuing in much the same way as it does now with the same Headteacher and senior staff.

11. Will there be any changes to the existing admission arrangements?

There are currently no proposals to change the existing admission arrangements for Husborne Crawley Lower School. Any future changes would be consulted upon in accordance with the School Admissions Code.

As already stated, we would welcome your views, whether positive or negative, on the proposal. The consultation period will run until Friday, 4^th November 2022 and comments must be received by this time. Page 1 of the consultation document provides details on how to submit your comments. If you have any queries about this document, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Willans at the school for further advice.

Toby Barrett

Chair of Governors

Husborne Crawley Lower School