When the Secretary of State for Education invited schools deemed ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted to apply for academy status as a reward for their success, he offered them a means to secure the greater autonomy that had previously only been available to underachieving schools. This new approach recognises that these schools are astutely managed, and that their governing bodies are capable of deciding what is best for the institution and its students, rather than relying on local authorities to appoint new staff or allocate resources on their behalf. For many ‘Outstanding’ schools, however, the decision to become academies is about far more than control of their own budgets, or greater freedom from the National Curriculum - it is an acknowledgment of their hard work, and a spur to greater success.
“Becoming an academy allows a school to become the architect of its own fortune and future – it gives the school a sense of responsibility for its actions and its pupils that drives it to achieve”, says Mike Griffiths, headmaster of Northampton School for Boys, which acquired academy status from September 1st 2010, in the wake of Michael Gove’s announcement and invitation in June.
Griffiths believes that the real prize of academy status is in the “state of mind” that it confers: “it allows you to become a self-confident school, with the confidence to make your own decisions; then your only concern is what’s of benefit to the students.” In addition, the school itself can make informed choices about its operations, syllabus and finances, “putting decision-making and money as close as possible to the learner”, as Griffiths explains.
Even for the very best schools, the transition to academy status is a huge undertaking. There are legal, financial and personnel issues to address, which is a daunting task even before considering the often very short timescale available to complete the transition. Having project-managed the successful transition to academy status in partnership with several schools, Tribal can offer some best practice advice to schools thinking about seizing this opportunity, so that they can make their decision with confidence.
Schools applying for academy status can learn from the experience of Tudor Grange Academy in Worcester, which Tribal supported as it underwent the transition from Elgar Technology College to Tudor Grange Academy in 2009. The establishment of this school embodies many of the new government’s principles and policies, which seek to empower schools and institutions to help each other directly and collaborate at the grassroots level; as it was the first instance in the country of an ‘Outstanding’ community school, Tudor Grange School in Solihull, sponsoring a less successful school to become an academy.
The schools were brought together with Tribal providing project management. First of all, Tribal appointed Bob O’Hagan, a former head teacher, as the overall project manager. Claire Maclean, Principal of Tudor Grange Academy, says that Bob struck the ideal balance: “his project management skills were exceptional – his attention to detail was second to none, and he was able to oversee the practical and monitoring issues of the project, whilst also understanding and factoring in the concerns and aspirations of the educationalists involved in the new school.”
During the transition process the project management team must monitor and assess every task on the very long list of actions; allocate resources and people; and act as the main point of liaison for legal issues and public consultation. Tribal supported this transition process by not only choosing an appropriate project manager, but also by assembling a team of Tribal experts who can advise and oversee the different elements of the project as and when their expertise is required.
Having observed the flexibility with which Tudor Grange Academy has been able to find solutions to its problems, the sponsor school, Tudor Grange School, came to the conclusion that this model opens up opportunities for growth and diversification – and so it is now applying for academy status in its own right.
As the Government looks to create a world-class education system that promotes excellence for all children and narrows the attainment gap between the most and least advantaged, the lesson of Tudor Grange Academy for all would-be academies is that the transition to academy status does not have to be a bumpy road.