The Welcome MAT?
If all schools are forced to become academies by 2022, Amanda Godfrey hopes we can get past the bitter fallout and move forward together…
All schools to become academies by 2020. The government’s decision has left a bad taste in many schools’ mouths, and much speculation and debate in its wake.
But despite objections, it’s still very possible that the proposals made in the white paper will come to pass. The question, then, is can we overcome this atmosphere of suspicion and move forward in a positive stride?
Resistant to change
It’s understandable that schools are very resistant to being forced into changes that they don’t believe will have a positive impact on the quality of provision. With little in the way of evidence that academisation benefits pupils, the government has been unable to persuade all heads and governing bodies on the positive outcomes of conversion. Instead, it has resorted to force, creating a bitter atmosphere that will be difficult to resolve and which has stood in the way of any reasoned debate. A big factor in this pool of negativity is the lack of education around what is involved in converting to academy status. Understandably, many heads fear loss of control; they worry that a remote board or executive head will be able to tell them what to do. They also worry that the decisions made about their schools won’t reflect the local knowledge and context. But this isn’t necessarily the case, and demystifying such speculation is becoming ever more difficult, as both sides of the argument become increasingly entrenched. The lack of clarity is partly due to every school’s context being so different. The benefits of conversion vary according to the school, local authority and multi-academy trust (MAT) in question. What support or challenges did the LA provide to the school? What level of support does the school need? What will the academy or MAT structure provide?
A nuclear family
Understanding all of these things is important, but ultimately you want to find a MAT with a well-matched ethos and shared values in order to create a harmonious family.
A long and expensive process
Having said that, the conversion process is very time consuming and distracting. The government must make it easier for all and recognise that as things stand, changeovers will become dominated by legal teams, with frequent duplication and contradiction along the way.
It’s a long and expensive legal process. The forms are dense and confusing, and the language feels alien and therefore threatening. The awkward merging of charities, education and company laws creates a complex paper mountain to negotiate. Terms are unclear and the wording unhelpful, adding to schools’ frustrations.
A clear, plain English approach that both heads and governors understand, which does not require a legal team to navigate – and with accompanying bills that don’t exceed the £25,000 government conversion grant – would certainly be to everyone’s advantage. Otherwise, the risk that schools will enter into new partnerships feeling negative and reluctant is potentially very destructive – and could mean many years of distraction from their core purpose.
Schools ideally need to feel happy about converting, and want to join an MAT. Then it can be a very positive thing, opening the door to support and creativity, and being a great boost for the whole education community.
Amanda Godfrey is a National Leader of Education and executive head of Spiral Academies Trust; for more information, visit www.spiral.herts.sch.uk or follow @spiralexechead
Every school’s experience will, of course, be different – but from our perspective at the Spiral Academies Trust, we have benefited in many different ways. Our MAT found that the opportunity to create a nuclear family of schools that work together to share ideas, discuss pedagogy, and pool resources was very powerful – for example, creating a small team of behaviour experts to work across the Trust and provide support when a school is faced with an extremely challenging child. We also gained from sharing curriculum and assessment ideas in a more structured and practical way, as well as behaviour and SEN expertise – and in one instance, the skills and staff needed to prevent an after-school club from having to close, when one school was struggling to maintain the provision.
Meaningful collaboration
Most schools would argue that they already do this, but what we’ve noticed is that collaborating in this way became a much more engaged and meaningful process when we were formally united as a MAT.
So if the government’s plans do go ahead – whether you like it or not – how can a school set about finding the right partner?
Well, they must first be clear about what they are looking for. Is it more support? If so, in what areas? Do they want opportunities to innovate, take risks or challenge? What are their ambitions? What help do they need to achieve them?
Understanding all of these things is important, but ultimately you want to find a MAT with a well-matched ethos and shared values in order to create a harmonious family.
A long and expensive process
Having said that, the conversion process is very time consuming and distracting. The government must make it easier for all and recognise that as things stand, changeovers will become dominated by legal teams, with frequent duplication and contradiction along the way.
It’s a long and expensive legal process. The forms are dense and confusing, and the language feels alien and therefore threatening. The awkward merging of charities, education and company laws creates a complex paper mountain to negotiate. Terms are unclear and the wording unhelpful, adding to schools’ frustrations.
A clear, plain English approach that both heads and governors understand, which does not require a legal team to navigate – and with accompanying bills that don’t exceed the £25,000 government conversion grant – would certainly be to everyone’s advantage. Otherwise, the risk that schools will enter into new partnerships feeling negative and reluctant is potentially very destructive – and could mean many years of distraction from their core purpose.
Schools ideally need to feel happy about converting, and want to join an MAT. Then it can be a very positive thing, opening the door to support and creativity, and being a great boost for the whole education community.
Amanda Godfrey is a National Leader of Education and executive head of Spiral Academies Trust; for more information, visit www.spiral.herts.sch.uk or follow @spiralexechead
