Academies – still a controversial issue 20 years on
After almost 20 years since their introduction, we take a look at how academies have changed the landscape of UK education. Brian Crosby, CEO of an academy chain in York, outlines the advantages of school academies while Simon O’Hara from the Anti-Academies Alliance discusses the potential dangers as new research reveals that a third of UK parents would remove their child from school if it converted into an academy… The academisation of schools has been one of the most contentious issues in British education ever since the policy’s inception in 2000. The system, which involves schools receiving funding directly from central government instead of their local authority, was initially introduced to improve failing institutions, but, despite such admirable intentions, it has proved highly controversial. Early in 2019, when it was announced that their school was about to convert into an academy, hundreds of parents, children and teachers in East Sussex protested and eventually managed to overturn the decision. Interested to discover the scale of this discontent, Oxford Home Schooling recently surveyed 750 UK parents[1], all with children aged between five and sixteen, about their views on the academy system. While nearly half (45%) argued that it enables schools to spend funding more wisely, the same number believe that academies care more about profit than child development. More than a third (34%) said they feel strongly enough that they would remove their children from school if it turned into an academy. To discuss the pros and cons of the academy system, Oxford Home Schooling asked experts on both sides of the debate to explain their opinion. The advantages of the school academy system Brian Crosby is the CEO of the Hope Learning Trust in York, an academy chain that runs several primary and secondary schools. He said: “The English education system is taking part in the biggest educational experiment in the last century or certainly since 1948. School leaders are being encouraged to lead their schools and now organise them in ways to form independent, free to students, academy groups to support rapid school improvements. “It was felt that the existing model was not fit for purpose in driving up standards, especially in struggling schools. The most disadvantaged students were in the worst-performing schools and something had to change. “My bias is that I am drawn to innovation and change in education, so changing to an academy and later a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) was compelling. But can they do what they are being asked to do and at what price? “It takes three to five years to turn around a complex underperforming school, and probably seven years to get it firmly embedded as a very good school. The problems can be complex and MATs do not have magic wands. We simply follow great educational practice and there are no quick fixes. “So what are the advantages? In my experience the biggest advantage is collective responsibility. We are a family of schools working on these issues together. We can share resources, we can share staff, we can share expertise. The best MATs are the ones committed to wholeheartedly embracing the opportunities to work differently for the good of all. “The worst MATs are castles with a few other schools as a moat to protect the castle, often a large flourishing secondary school. I believe no school should be Ofsted Outstanding without being seriously engaged in transforming a school in difficulty. The major difference in the academy programme is collective responsibility, not externally driven but internally motivated.” The disadvantages of school academies Simon O’Hara is a spokesperson for the Anti-Academies Alliance. He said: “There is a profound crisis in education. The current system of neoliberal education has failed. Academisation – the flagship of marketisation – is mired in corruption, cronyism and outright failure. The exam-factory system is failing our children and the recruitment and retention of teachers and other school staff is reaching crisis point. School funding cuts continue to wreak havoc on those least able to defend themselves. “The government is bereft of ideas to solve these and many other problems, but it continues to see privatisation as the answer. That’s why we need a concerted effort to bring an end to academisation. The rapid conversion of state schools to academies since 2010 has resulted in the majority of such schools having less freedom than before and a significant loss of accountability to parents, to communities and to those who work in them. “We face an entrenched and undemocratic ‘education ruling class’ who have power and control over vast swathes of the education system. It will take a huge social movement of staff, parents, students and communities to shift them.” Dr Nick Smith, principal at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The academisation of schools has been, and continues to be, one of the most controversial issues in British education in recent years. “While there are a number of benefits to the initiative, like schools being able to spend funding in ways that are best for their community, there is clearly a large and growing proportion of parents that are against the idea. “Our research has highlighted how strongly people feel about the topic. With this in mind, schools and academy leaders would be wise to consult with parents to address their doubts about the system before forcing institutions to change their identity.” To read more information about Oxford Home Schooling’s research on school academies, visit: oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk
School finance – has your MAT considered GAG pooling?
Mat Smith, chartered certified accountant and solutions architect at PS Financials, part of the IRIS Software Group, puts a spotlight on improving school finance through General Annual Grant (GAG) pooling. Lord Agnew, the under-secretary of state for the school system, suggested that GAG pooling – where a multi-academy trust (MAT) collects general annual grant funding centrally and allocates budgets to individual schools – is an effective way to improve best practice. Research has shown that more centralised trusts perform better financially too. However, only five per cent of MATs are considering taking this route, according to one survey. So, what three areas should MATs explore when considering GAG pooling? 1. Champion achievement for all One advantage of GAG pooling is the opportunity for MATs to even out the funding schools receive in different postcodes, which enables more targeted financial support for weaker schools. If managed well, this can raise standards across the group. What’s needed is a culture where MAT schools are encouraged to champion the achievement of all children in the group. A commitment to communication and transparency about how funding is allocated, and why, would be essential too. This would ensure headteachers’ agree allocated school budgets, which would then enable them to make collective informed decisions about where investment will bring the greatest improvement to the group as a whole. 2. Small changes in school finance management More centralised trusts have shown to perform better financially, but going for all or nothing can be a big step for trusts to take. One option is to centrally manage specific functions on a group-wide basis as a starting point. This would bring economies of scale to areas such as maintenance and utilities and reduce high administration or premises charges. Local purchases and more specific resources could then be managed through a school’s own individual bank account to coincide with the leadership team’s control. 3. Focus on developing your teachers Another way for MATs to take a step towards GAG pooling is with their greatest assets – their teachers. Some trusts employ newly qualified teachers (NQTs) who are given the opportunity to provide cover and support where it is needed across the group. This approach can help to cut high agency costs, provide students with a familiar face during teacher absence and enables NQTs to gain teaching experience beyond a single school, supporting their professional development. A successful move to GAG pooling requires vital synergy in the values, cultural fit and ethos of a trust and its schools. There can be strength in numbers and by getting centralisation right, trusts can ensure better resources are available to more schools, benefitting more children. For more information on school finance management solutions for MATs visit PS Financials.
Ofsted’s new Vision: Benchmarking your MATs performance
In light of the recent announcement that Ofsted[1]will focus less on exam results and place emphasis on the quality of teaching, it’s more important than ever that Multi-Academy Trusts – MATs – are spending their time on creating a rich curriculum learning rather than data crunching. Today, there are 1532 MATs[2]throughout the UK and this number is expected to continue to grow. Data analysis is one of the most important measurers within MATs. On a student level, a Management Information Systems (MIS) allows teachers to pinpoint individual student progression and monitor attainment or behaviour. On a school level it aggregates data to highlight overall performance and benchmark nationally. From September 2019, inspectors will want to see the assessment information MATs use to understand how pupils are performing and, crucially, what MATs do with the information to support better pupil achievement. One factor central to this change in approach is the necessity for a robust, reliable data system.Having a robust IT system in place allows easy access of information enabling MATs to easily extract and manipulate data. This assures the best possible outcomes for learners and enables schools to implement interventions and evidence effectiveness during Ofsted inspection. The Power of Big Data Historically, data used in schools tended to be based around personal information, contact details and attendance information. Now, data has become more contextual and schools can delve deeper into the information they hold to explore variables such as deprivation, language proficiencies and mobility. Teachers have told us that this information gives them a far deeper insight into their students, which in turn helps strengthen their connection with teachers and ultimately shape how learning takes place. Teacher understanding, acceptance and use of systems is invaluable to the successful use of school data. When powerful data is combined with the experience of talented practitioners to bring about change, its power truly comes to life. MiS canenable teachers to easily record pupil progress, set targets and analyse all assessment, attendance and behaviour across the whole school. This is particularly important to MATs as development and performance analytics are often carried out centrally. A MIS allows schools to track which pupils are persistent absentees, what percentage these represent of all pupils, and how their absence patterns are changing over time. If early interventions are put in place with these pupils prompted by this data, these are much more effective in the long-term. Data systems also allow for further areas to be revealed, such as whether there’s consistent cover for staff absence, relevant clearance certificates, or where and when SEND pupils need additional support. By bringing live contextual data into their assessment mark books, users can immediately identify any interventions required. For example, if certain learners are not making the progress expected throughout the Autumn term, interventions can be planned for the Spring term. Rather than waiting until the end of the year to address these issues the system can help teachers and heads to intervene immediately. Assembly Analytics MAT data shouldn’t only offer insight; it should ultimately give a tangible path to improve academic performance and the efficiency of central-office operations. Collaborative approaches to MIS data are becoming commonplace. RM Integris has recently partnered with Assembly Analytics, a data analysis tooldeveloped specifically for MATs, with input from Ark, Astrea, Unity Schools Partnership and Windsor Academy Trusts. Assembly Analytics combines data automatically from multiple packages andconnects to a range of MIS, finance and assessment systems. This allows teachers, heads and senior management to view live contextualised data from each academy and pull together like-for-like data to view overall trends in one, simple-to-use dashboard. This simplifies the assessment process, allowing for changes and actions to be made, but saves time for all staff. Joshua Perry, Director of Assembly said: “Data analysis is an incredibly powerful management tool when used correctly, but too often in the past, it has been a time-consuming burden for schools with unclear benefits. That’s why Assembly have been working with RM to provide fully automated MAT analytics that simplifies the way schools glean insights from their data. Assembly Analytics crunches data from Integris and a range of other sources, including leading standardised assessment and finance systems. Our visual dashboards then present a MAT’s own data alongside meaningful benchmarks derived from national datasets, so leaders can quickly identify areas requiring management attention.” Optimise Learning With a clear set of objectives for improvement and a robust MIS, MATs can use their data much more effectively to optimise learning and maximise central-office functionalities. MATs have complex data analysis needs; system features like automation, aggregation and benchmarking are all critical for efficient and effective usage. This helps to ensure that resources are well-spent and learning outcomes improved. MATs seek a greater level of information from their systems and are recognising the potential to fully exploit the power of data to monitor progress, attendance and behaviours. MIS ensure that teaching is effective, and students are benefitting from a rich education. The new Ofsted framework aims to ignite conversation during inspection and complement school’s performance. With an effective data system, MATs have the power to deliver a deeper understanding of their trust and key recommendations for the future. For more information and advice, visit www.rm.com/products/rm-integris [1]Gov.uk 2018 Chief Inspector sets out vision for new Education Inspection Framework [Online] Available at: www.gov.uk/government/news/chief-inspector-sets-out-vision-for-new-education-inspection-framework [2]gov.uk. 2018. Get information about schools. [ONLINE] Available at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. [Accessed 8 October 2018]