The words you are searching are inside this book. To get more targeted content, please make full-text search by clicking here.

North Star Federation and Mercian Trust Consultation FAQs

Discover the best professional documents and content resources in AnyFlip Document Base.
Search
Published by The Mercian Trust, 2024-04-23 06:42:41

North Star Federation and Mercian Trust Consultation FAQs

North Star Federation and Mercian Trust Consultation FAQs

SCHOOL OPERATIONS Will ‘the basics’ like school uniform and the �mes of the school day change? There are no plans to change either the school uniform or the �mes of the school day as a result of our proposal. These things are however reviewed at least annually and may change at some stage in the future if the local leadership and governing body feel this is appropriate. Will the names of the schools change if they become academies? There is no requirement to change a school’s name if it becomes academy. We are proud of our school iden��es and plan to keep them the same. Will the school holidays change? Currently there are some differences in school holiday dates between different schools in the trust. Term dates are reviewed annually and published in advance to parents. It is likely that most term dates will be aligned between our schools in future years to enable successful collabora�on between school staff and leaders – and to ensure pupils have the broadest curriculum offer (including enrichment ac�vi�es). Future proposals for term dates will form part of a separate consulta�on process. Some (but not all) INSET days will also be aligned in order to enable staff from all schools to benefit from trust-wide professional development ac�vi�es. All schools con�nue to have five INSET days to focus on their school improvement priori�es. Will the curriculum or extended school offer change? All school leaders in The Mercian Trust are responsible se�ng their curriculum and school offer. There are no planned changes. Will parents have a significant voice? All our schools are commited to local community engagement and providing parents and students with a strong voice in how their schools operate. This will con�nue to be the case within a mul� academy trust. The parent voice will feed into the local leadership, management and governance of each school. The role of parent governors will con�nue to be valued as an integral part of each local governing body. Frequently Asked Questions Version 1.2 Last updated 16.05.24


What happens if one of the schools in the Trust ‘fails’ an Ofsted inspec�on? One of the advantages of larger mul� academy trusts is that it should be more likely that schools are judged Good or Outstanding – this is because the collec�ve support, exper�se and added capacity of working together should mean that Headteachers can address any issues before they would become an issue for Ofsted. The Ofsted ra�ng of one school does not directly affect any other school. However, there could be implica�ons for the Trust. For example, if one school was graded inadequate, then the DfE could re-broker that school out of the Trust and into another one. It is most likely, however, that if one of our schools was judged Inadequate or Requires Improvement by Ofsted then the Trust through our network of exper�se and capacity will be the first response to support the school (and our colleagues working in that school) to ensure that rapid improvements are made. We believe strongly that school development is a reciprocal arrangement and even in the schools with the greatest challenges there is o�en an abundance of skill and exper�se that need to be recognised, celebrated and harnessed for the greater good. PUPILS Will the admissions criteria at any schools change as a result of the proposal? We do not see any reason for why our proposal will result in any changes to admission arrangements for any of the schools currently in the North Star Federa�on or the secondary schools in The Mercian Trust. Admissions for Walsall schools will con�nue to be managed by Walsall local authority. Admission policies are, of course, reviewed annually, and any changes would form part of a full consulta�on. How will this impact pupils with special educa�onal needs and disabili�es? The support and opportuni�es for pupils with special educa�onal needs and disabili�es will not be reduced as part of our proposal. Rather, as a larger Trust we will look to expand the support we can provide and increase the professional skillset of our staff through effec�ve training and sharing of best prac�ce for all pupils and school types. Local authori�es con�nue to have statutory responsibili�es for pupils with special educa�onal needs and support such as EHCPs and transport will be unaffected. What benefits will pupils see as a result of joining The Mercian Trust? By joining a strong academy trust we will have access to a wide range of exper�se and addi�onal capacity that will help support our schools to become even beter. All schools in The Mercian Trust retain their own iden�ty and specialism to ensure the best possible outcomes for their pupils. By collabora�ng together across a diverse range of schools we can further develop our prac�ce and enhance the learning experience for all pupils. Will there be different transi�on arrangements for children who move from one Mercian Trust school to another, such as students moving from Rushall Primary School to Mercian Trust secondary schools? Pupils atending a primary school that joins The Mercian Trust will not be given any specific advantage in gaining a place at a Mercian Trust secondary school as the admissions processes, including selec�ve entry for Queen Mary’s High School and Queen Mary’s Grammar School, will con�nue as before. However, being part of a family of schools would have advantages to help pupils with transi�on arrangements between one school and another. That said, already many pupils leave Rushall Primary School and join a Mercian Trust school and we already provide lots of transi�on opportuni�es to make this enrolment successful. Pupils will also con�nue to go to other schools in the area for Year 7 and we are determined to keep these exis�ng strong links with our local secondary schools in place.


STAFF Will the proposal mean a change of employer or a change to staff contracts? Staff who are currently employed by Walsall Council at North Star Federa�on will have a new employer, The Mercian Trust. Under employment law and TUPE arrangements there will be no immediate change to pay or condi�ons. We are not an�cipa�ng any ‘TUPE measures’ for staff transferring employment. There will be no change to con�nuous service or pension arrangements for staff transferring into The Mercian Trust. The Mercian Trust follows the same na�onally recognised terms and condi�ons for teaching and support staff as Walsall Council and use the same pension scheme, West Midland Pensions Fund and Teachers Pensions. Con�nuous service, re�rement arrangements, and parental and maternity pay arrangements will con�nue in the same way as they do currently. Annual leave for support staff will con�nue in exactly the same way, ensuring that long term service con�nues to be recognised. All statutory �mescales for this process, including a full staff consulta�on in partnership with Walsall Council, will be followed diligently. Will there be staff redundancies? There are no staffing restructures planned as part of our proposal that result in staff redundancies. Despite the pressure on school budgets na�onally, the schools in North Star Federa�on and The Mercian Trust are in healthy financial posi�ons. Will staff have to work at different school sites? Staff will not be expected to work in a different school if they do not wish to do so. However, having the opportunity to work in more than one school can provide a great opportunity for career development. Benefi�ng from secondments and system leadership many staff will gain professional prac�ce and are fulfilled in their work. This is good prac�ce that has been working across and North Star Federa�on and The Mercian Trust for years. Do academy trusts s�ll work with unions like maintained schools? Yes. Academy Trusts, including The Mercian Trust, work closely with unions and have generally have very posi�ve working rela�onships to ensure that staff are treated well. As publicly funded organisa�ons, academy trusts have rigorous controls and measures on them to ensure that they conduct their business openly and honestly. GOVERNANCE AND EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP Will North Star Federa�on remain as a separate ins�tu�on within The Mercian Trust? The name ‘North Star’ will con�nue to be used as part of North Star Inclusion Advisory Service, and there will con�nue to be a single Local Governing Body overseeing both Oakwood School and Rushall Primary School. The actual cons�tu�onal organisa�on North Star Federa�on will close and the two schools will become equal members of the Mercian Trust, alongside its current nine other schools. Who is in charge of the decisions in each school? The trustees and the execu�ve leaders of the trust has oversight of all schools in the academy trust. Individual Headteacher and their leadership teams are responsible for their schools on a day-to-day and strategic basis. They are supported to do this by their own dedicated Local Governors. What are the benefits of a primary and special school joining a trust of secondary schools?


Although it may seem that Rushall Primary School and Oakwood School are very different to the secondary schools already in The Mercian Trust, the truth is that schools of all different scales and phases have a lot in common. By bringing together primary and special school experts into The Mercian Trust family we will be even stronger, and beter able to increase opportuni�es and improve outcomes for the pupils of all ages in the communi�es that we serve. Rushall Primary School and Oakwood School have enormous exper�se from Early Years through Key Stages 1 and 2, and with pupils with complex SEND needs. These skills are hugely valuable and will support all of our schools to be even beter. Our aspira�on is that more primary and special schools will join The Mercian Trust in the near future, further strengthening our exper�se. What is the future of North Star Inclusion Advisory Team (NIAT)? NIAT has successfully served the educa�on community for the last 10 years. Joining The Mercian Trust will strengthen our service offer by developing addi�onal much-needed support into the secondary school sector. We are commited to the long-term future of NIAT, ensuring that we con�nually develop the services that we offer, con�nue to be seen as a leading source of best prac�ce both locally and na�onally, and are informed by feedback from the schools and communi�es that we serve. What is the �meframe for this happening? Following this consulta�on, both the North Star Federa�on Governing Body and the Mercian Trust Board of Trustees will consider the findings and make a decision about whether to apply to the Regional Director at the Department for Educa�on for an Academy Order. This is the official licence for schools to convert to academy status and join an academy trust. There is then a legal process to transfer relevant contractual responsibili�es to the new organisa�on and this can take several months. The expecta�on is that the legal transfer would be completed during the 2024-2025 academic year. How is funding organised within The Mercian Trust Currently, most funding for a Trust is allocated from the ESFA on an individual academy basis (driven by student numbers). Funding is governed through a Master Funding Agreement between the Secretary of State and the Trust, and supplemental agreements between the Secretary of State and each school within the Trust. Some funding (e.g. capital alloca�on) is allocated directly to the Trust to manage expenditure appropriately amongst its schools. The Mercian Trust Board of Trustees, approve a delegated budget for each school within the trust. Headteachers are responsible for educa�onal standards, student outcomes and the financial performance of their school. How can we be sure that money will be well spent in the Trust? There are many checks and balances on how the schools spend their finances, as there are currently in both North Star Federa�on and The Mercian Trust. For The Mercian Trust. this includes professional external auditors who check these things. Trustees also use a range of benchmarking and comparison tools to consider the Trust’s income and expenditure and financial impact of decisions taken compared to Trusts with similar schools. Most importantly, expenditure will be based on a set of core principles which con�nue to place our mission and shared vision for students at the heart of our business planning and budget se�ng processes – this means ensuring that most of our money is used directly to increase opportuni�es and improve outcomes for all students – for employing great staff, remunera�ng them properly and looking a�er them, knowing that staff who feel valued both in their pay and their condi�ons, are staff who will be most effec�ve in teaching and/or support students directly and delivering the opera�onal support to enable it to happen. Have you considered the risks to individual schools? Considering the opportuni�es and risks for all our schools and the communi�es we serve is an important part of what governors and the board of Trustees oversee. The overall risks have been considered by both


the North Star Federa�on Governing Body and The Mercian Trust Board of Trustees during our strategic partnership discussions and appropriate due diligence ac�vi�es are being undertaken. We judge the benefits and opportuni�es of our proposal to significantly outweigh the risks.


Click to View FlipBook Version