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A new future for
Edenham High School
The Governing Body of Edenham High School is recommending that
the school should become an academy as part of the Greenshaw
Learning Trust.
The Governing Body has been considering its options and decided that the
way to secure the best future for the school would be to establish a formal
partnership with Greenshaw High School by converting to academy status
under the umbrella of the Greenshaw Learning Trust.
Why make this change?
As an academy in the Greenshaw Learning Trust, Edenham will continue to be
run as it is now by its leadership team and governing body; but they will have
greater control over how the school is run and how it develops in future.
The school will have a greater say in how its budget is used and more choice
over how it delivers the curriculum and the support services the school uses.
Edenham and Greenshaw have shared values and objectives - they have a lot in
common and can learn from each other.
By working in partnership with Greenshaw under the umbrella of the
Greenshaw Learning Trust, Edenham will benefit from collaboration with and
support from a successful, popular and well-run secondary school, and achieve
economies of scale.
The Government says that it wants all schools to become academies over the
next few years , and is encouraging schools to become academies as part of a
group of schools working together.
The decision on whether to become an academy is a matter solely for the
Governing Body of the school and does not require local authority approval.
The Governing Body has to - and wants to - inform and consult its ‘stakeholders’
and welcomes your comments and questions.
What will stay the same?
Character
By becoming an academy in partnership with Greenshaw, Edenham’s character
will not change: the school will continue to look, feel and be the way it is now.
There will be no change to the school’s name - and it would not include the
word ‘academy’.
Edenham will continue to provide high quality education for local children of
all abilities, operating at the heart of our local community, working with other
local schools and community groups.
Edenham will continue to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that seeks
to give all students the best start in their lives. The school would continue, as
now, to be subject to Ofsted monitoring and inspections.
Edenham will continue to collaborate with other schools in the area, for
example to coordinate term dates, and with the local authority over provision
for special educational needs and place planning.
Admissions and inclusion
By becoming an academy there would be no changes to the Edenham’s
admissions criteria – the same pupils will come to Edenham as would come if it
were not an academy.
If Edenham becomes an academy its commitment to all students including
those with special education needs and those with speech and language needs
will continue; its inclusive nature defines the school.
Funding, land and buildings
As an academy Edenham will receive the same level of per-pupil funding as it
would as a maintained school, but in addition it will receive some additional
money that is currently retained by the Local Authority.
If Edenham becomes an academy the land and buildings currently used by the
school will continue to be available to it and will transfer to the academy trust
on a long lease.
What will change?
By becoming an academy in partnership with Greenshaw, Edenham will
have greater control over how it is run and how it spends its money. It will be
overseen by its governing body and the trustees of the Greenshaw Learning
Trust, not the local authority.
Funding
As an academy Edenham will have a greater say over how it spends the money
allocated to it. It will receive additional funding equal to the amount ‘top sliced’
from the school’s budget by the local authority, and will have more choice over
how it spends that money and which services it obtains from whom.
As part of the Greenshaw Learning Trust Edenham will benefit from economies
of scale and will be able to secure better value for money and free up money to
use for the school’s own priorities.
The additional control over its budgets will help Edenham offset the pressure
on its budgets and help to preserve services for its students and safeguard jobs.
Collaboration
As an academy working in close partnership with Greenshaw, Edenham will
benefit from close collaboration with, and support from, a successful and
popular school.
Being part of the Greenshaw Trust will strengthen Edenham, protect and
improve what is good about it, and provide further opportunities for its pupils
and staff.
How would it affect staff?
As an academy, the Greenshaw Learning Trust will become the employer of
the staff, not the local authority. All current staff will transfer to the academy
under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) regulations,
retaining current pay and conditions.
All existing and future staff will be covered by nationally agreed pay and
conditions; teachers will remain in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme and support
staff will remain in the Local Government Pension Scheme as they are now; the
employers’ contributions would be maintained by the academy.
What is an academy
An academy is a state-funded school, that is required to follow the same
regulations and serve its community in the same way as other state-funded
schools, and funded on the same basis, directly by the Department for
Education.
An academy cannot charge fees or make a profit. It can ask for parental
contributions, eg for school, trips, in line with government regulations, as we do
now.
An academy is overseen and supported by an academy trust, and is not under
the control of the local authorty. An academy trust is a charitable company
established with the sole purpose of providing public education through
its academy schools. Academy trustees have a legal duty to operate in the
interests of the schools in the trust.
Greenshaw and the Greenshaw Learning Trust
Greenshaw is a successful and popular secondary school with the skills,
experience and capacity to support other schools, primary and secondary, to
help them improve. Greenshaw became an academy in 2011.
The Greenshaw Learning Trust is the academy trust responsible for Greenshaw
High School. It was established by the governors and staff of Greenshaw with
the aim of growing a family of like-minded schools that would collaborate and
support each other.
To find out more about Greenshaw, go to www.greenshaw.co.uk
Further information, views and comments
If you have any questions, or wish to give your views, please:
email to Laurel Smith, Headteacher’s PA [email protected]
Or write by post to:
Laurel Smith, Headteacher’s PA, Edenham High School,
Orchard Way, Shirley, Croydon CRO 7NJ