Agenda item

To receive and consider the reports of the Director of Children’s Services which provides information on the impact of academy developments upon the work of the Local Authority and education in general.

The Board received the report of the Director Children’s Services in response to a request to provide information on the impact of academy school developments upon the work of the Local Authority and education in general. The report set out the current position in the primary and secondary school phases both in Leeds and nationally and provided details on how academies differ from local authority maintained schools, associated corporate implications and raised awareness to the Board for other options for structural change of schools

The Board welcomed Councillor J Blake, Executive Member for Children’s Services and the following officers to the meeting to present the report:

Mr N Richardson, Director of Children’s Services

Ms I Atraszkiewicz – Lead officer, Schools Facing Challenging Circumstances

Ms G Webb – Head of Learning Improvement

Details were provided in respect of Government Policy which supports academisation, the number of schools in Leeds and the proportion of those which were Academies, (219 Primary Schools, including 6 Academies and 38 Secondary Schools including 8 Academies) and academy types.

(Councillor Khan joined the meeting at this point)

The following key issues were discussed:

Information and data sharing – highlighting the need to encourage academy schools to provide relevant data to the authority

The Freedoms afforded to academies to determine curriculum and the length of school day and whether there was any evidence to suggest that academies employed curriculums which were significantly different from the National Curriculum; and whether this improved performance and outcomes for the pupils

Funding and resources – in terms of conversion costs, the Board was aware that Academy Schools were funded directly from Central Government however were surprised to learn the associated costs to the Local Authority (LA) of the conversion process and the fact that a schools’ deficit budget balance was assumed by the LA, but a surplus balance was carried forward to the new Academy. Members were pleased to note that officers were in discussions with the DofE regarding the possibility of reclaiming some of the costs of conversion and also to request a percentage of the £25k funding given to schools which have achieved academy status towards conversion costs.

In terms of Services - Academy Schools could engage with the open market.  Members were pleased to note that Children’s Services had established a strong service delivery and marketing position with the Leeds academies

In terms of the impact on clusters – Academy Schools could choose whether to sign up to the local cluster partnerships which could have an impact on cluster funding

(Councillor Hussain joined the meeting at this point and Councillor Khan withdrew for a short while)

Policies and Admissions – the need for Academy Schools to fully participate with the LA in terms of school admissions, Fair Access and Exclusions policies

Land and Buildings – the status of land and buildings utilised by Academy Schools and schools with Trust status

Leeds Sponsors - the aims and philanthropic/business background of the Leeds external sponsors

Partnership Working – the links established with the academies and the 8 Leeds Academy sponsors. A sponsor network had been established to promote partnership working.

The Board agreed that further investigation was required in order to assess the impact of school status changes on children and the community, and agreed to incorporate further scrutiny of Academy Schools into the Work Schedule for the new Municipal Year

RESOLVED –

a)  That the information contained within the report be noted.

b)  That, Children’s Services officers are requested to undertake further investigations which take into account all options for schools considering or being expected to consider becoming an academy and the impact upon the school and the wider community that it serves in order to:

-  appreciate the full implications of costs and resources on Leeds Children’s Services

-  inform the development of a comprehensive Leeds position statement on structural change that guides improvements in schools’ standards and effectiveness and meets the needs of all young people educated in Leeds.

c)  That a further session to consider the outcome of investigations as detailed above relating to Academy Schools be incorporated within the Scrutiny Board Work Schedule, to commence early in the New Municipal Year