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With Preston’s Eldon Primary School set to be ordered to become an academy, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) looks at what the move means, examines the trust poised to take control of the Plungington facility and explores the difference between schools and academies.
Why is Eldon Primary School becoming an academy?
The school was rated as ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted inspectors in a report published last month, having previously been judged “outstanding” following its last inspection seven years ago. The law currently requires that all schools with an inadequate rating are converted into academies.
What does it mean to become an academy?
Academies are state-funded, but are no longer under the control of the local council, as they will often have been, to varying degrees, in their previous guise.
They can either exist as standalone establishments or join a multi-academy trust (MAT), a group of academies operated by the same charitable organisation. MATs come in various sizes – with some having just a handful of academies and others dozens.
Schools like Eldon Primary, which have been ordered to become academies rather than choosing to convert, always join a MAT, which is selected by the Department for Education (DfE) to help address the problems that prompted the conversion in the first place.
Can an order to become an academy be revoked?
In exceptional circumstances – and only by a government minister. Such a move could be made if a new inspection rates the school ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ or if any safeguarding concerns there may have been are resolved. Eldon’s previous governing body – which has now been replaced with an interim executive board – had begun the process of challenging the Ofsted rating the school had received.
What are the day-to-day differences between a school and an academy?
Pupils in academies study the same core subjects and take the same exams as those in local authority-run schools. However, an academy has greater freedom over other aspects of the curriculum it offers.
Academies set their own admissions policies, but must nevertheless abide by the mandatory aspects of the national School Admissions Code.
They also have control over term times and the length of the school day – and set staff pay and conditions.
How many academies are there in Lancashire?
Lancashire has a far lower rate of academy conversion – both by choice and compulsion – than England as a whole. Of the 686 schools in the Lancashire County Council area, just 95 are academies, according to government data – 13.8 percent. That compares to 43.6 percent of all English schools which are now academies.
What is the name of the academy trust taking over Eldon Primary School?
According to a letter to parents issued by the now former chair of governors at the school, Blackburn-based Star Academies has been selected to take charge at Eldon Primary. Abu Patel said the DfE will meet its North West Advisory Board on 17th October to confirm the decision.
What is known about Star Academies?
According to its website, the trust runs 37 academies – both primary and secondary, some of which are Muslim faith-based establishments and others not. The trust says all of its academies have ‘leadership’ as a specialism.
There are clusters of Star Academies here in Lancashire – where it operates nine establishments in total – as well as in West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and East London.
The trust already has a presence in Preston, where it runs the Eden Boys’ School for secondary pupils and The Olive School for primary-aged children.
Elsewhere in Lancashire, the trust operates academies including The Bay Leadership Academy in Morecambe and Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School.
What does the boss of Star Academies have to say?
Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, chief executive of Star Academies, says in a statement on the trust’s website: “It is our mission to deliver the very best education to young people in our schools across the UK. As well as achieving excellent academic results, Star schools are deeply committed to the personal development of our young people. We are proud to contribute to the communities we work in and students have the opportunity to support local projects.
“I am a strong believer in the power of outstanding education to transform lives. It is a great privilege for me to lead Star Academies and I work tirelessly to make sure we deliver the very best we can for each and every one of our pupils.
“I do not do this alone. Star has a talented and dedicated team of staff, trustees and governors. Each of our schools receives strong support from parents and the local community. We work together, united in a common vision to nurture today’s young people and inspire tomorrow’s leaders.”
Blog Preston approached Star Academies for comment on its likely takeover of Eldon Primary School, but did not receive a response.
What does Oftsed think of Star Academies as a trust?
MATs themselves are not inspected by Ofsted, but they can agree to being reviewed by the regulator as part of multi-academy trust summary evaluations. Star Academies is not listed on the Ofsted website as being amongst the 29 MATs to have so far taken part in that process.
However, the academies that make up a MAT are inspected in the same way as local authority-run schools are. Of the 27 Star Academy schools for which the Local Democracy Reporting Service could find a current rating on the Ofsted website, 15 were judged to be ‘outstanding’, 10 were rated ‘good’ and two classed as ‘requires improvement’. Some of its academies have only recently opened and so have not been inspected yet, while others did not appear after a search on the Ofsted website.
What does the government say are the benefits of multi-academy trusts?
According to the DfE: “A school that is not performing well could benefit from being in a trust with a better performing school, allowing them to share resources and knowledge.
“By working in partnership with each other, the schools within a trust can share staff, curriculum expertise and good teaching practices. This helps schools provide the best possible education for pupils.
“Joining a multi academy trust is a positive choice for schools. They help develop strong school leaders and great teachers, allowing schools to focus on the teaching and finding a curriculum that is based on what really works.”
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