Academies
Corporate pitfalls for new academies
It may seem, to the outside eye, that very little changes when a school converts to an academy. Chris Wilks reports
The premises, the teachers and support staff and the curriculum will usually remain broadly the same as before a conversion. But behind the scenes there will have been fundamental financial and legal changes to the structure and operation of the school. Not least among these will be the fact that the new academy will be a company limited by guarantee and the governors will constitute the board of directors of that company. This new role brings with it duties and responsibilities for the individuals concerned and it is often this aspect of the conversion, more than any other, that generates the most concern.
The importance of enterprise to academies
Katie Cardona in conversation with Adrian Smith
For schools converting to academies, the Government has made it clear that there should be no financial disadvantage or advantage to their newly found status. But, in reality, academies may find that certain fixed costs and diseconomies of scale eat into the additional funding they receive to buy the services previously provided free of charge by the local authority. These additional costs will include accountancy and audit, a potential for higher employer’s contributions for support staff and maternity leave provisions. Academies cannot run a deficit budget, so their need for extra funds is crucial to their financial survival.
Academy checklist
As the number of schools converting to academy status grows, Chris Cook provides these FAQs for governors
Q. What is an academy?
An academy is a publicly funded independent school which is outside local authority control. It is a school that is providing a high standard of education to its pupils, as (among other criteria), only those schools assessed by Ofsted as performing well or better are at liberty to apply to convert to academy status.
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Academies: is public procurement a blessing or curse?
One of the unintended consequences of becoming an academy, free school or university technical college (UTC) is that your school will become responsible for its own purchasing of goods, works and services. David Hansom reports
Many schools will not be familiar with the obligations and responsibilities that this creates. In particular, your school will generally be a "contracting authority" for the purposes of the EU public procurement regime. This means that detailed, and sometimes complex, rules apply to your higher value spend and there are pitfalls for the unwary.
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Academy conversions and overseas workers
For schools switching to academy status, there are many issues to address. Caitlin Anniss considers the impact on overseas workers
The latest figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that more than 1,200 schools have applied to become an academy since June 2010 and over 830 of these applications have been approved. This number is set to rise as applications will now be welcomed from schools that can demonstrate that they are performing well.
There are a number of key issues for any school to consider when deciding whether to convert to an academy. One issue that should not be overlooked is the employment of overseas workers and the requirement to comply with the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) immigration rules.
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What services do new academies need to source?
The importance of considering all the extra responsibilities shouldered by academies shouldn’t be underestimated. Sarah Honeywell reports
According to the Department for Education (DfE), schools becoming academies need to consider how they will obtain services previously provided by the local authority (LA).
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Academy conversion: the essentials
Since the introduction of the Academies Act 2010, each passing month has seen more schools start down the path of conversion. The Act significantly increases the scope of the previous academies programme which saw around 200 academies open in the last eight years. Stephanie Day reports
Why convert?
Academies are independent schools funded directly by the Department for Education (DfE) under the terms of the academy funding agreement which the academy enters into with the Secretary of State for Education. This agreement sets out the basis on which the academy will receive its funding and also the contractual obligations which the academy is expected to perform in return.
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Fast-tracking to academy status
In May 2010, the newly in post Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, announced new legislation that would fast-track the process to convert to academy. He also invited every maintained school in the country to convert to an academy. Chloe Brunton reviews the plans
The academies programme has now been extended to primary schools, special schools and grammar schools, with a focus initially being on those schools which have been judged by Ofsted to be outstanding. These schools will be automatically 'approved' for conversion with the intention that a large number of them will convert in September 2010, with the exception of special schools who will be delayed until September 2011.
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Property swap issues for academies
When converting to an academy, there are aspects of property conversion that can often prove more difficult than might be expected, writes John Steel
Many schools do not have comprehensive records about the ownership of their site. It is often the case that the school property is not held in the correct ownership, often because the property has not been properly transferred on the previous occasion that the school has changed status.
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Maximising the use of your school's assets
Your facilities offer potentially good lettings income, but beware, writes Chloe Brunton
This article, which is aimed at governing bodies of maintained schools and academies, considers how to make best use of your school site to:
• further your duty to promote community cohesion; and
• tap into additional revenue streams from commercial users: without diverting attention from your school's primary purpose of educating the young people you are responsible for and ensuring that the position of the school is protected.
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