Woodfield School, a secondary special needs school in Kingsbury, Brent has announced that it is consulting on the possibility of converting to secondary status.

It would be the first special needs school to convert and the last of the local authority secondary schools to move to academy status.

The document below has sent out to interested parties and sets out the Governing Body's position:

Theschooliscommittedtoitscommunityethosandtoworkingwithotherschoolsandorganisations.Thiscommitmentwillremainirrespectiveofwhethertheschoolconvertstoacademystatus.

Iftheschooldoesconverttoacademystatus,theGoverningBodyhasagreedthattherewouldbe:

·          NOchangeofschoolname

·          NOchangetotheschooluniform

·          NOchangetothetimesoftheschoolday

·          NOchangetothepatternofschooltermdates

·          NOprivatesponsor

·          NOchangetostafftermsandconditionsforexistingorfuturestaff

·          NOchangetotheethosoftheschool

WoodfieldwouldretaintheSENfocusofModerateLearningDifficulties(MLD),SevereLearningDifficulties(SLD),andAutismSpectrumDisorder(ASD),andtheincreasedsizeofupto176students,thatBrentCouncilhasapprovedtotakeeffecton1September2014.

IfWoodfielddoesbecomeanacademy,theGoverningBodywouldcontinuethecurrentpositionwhereparentandstaffgovernorscollectivelyconstituteamajorityoftheGovernors

–   sothosegroupswiththemostinterestinthesuccessoftheschooleverysingledayhavethemajorityofrepresentationontheGoverningBody.

  

Whatisanacademyandhowisitdifferent?

AnAcademyisanindependentstateschool,fundeddirectlyfromcentralgovernmentratherthanthroughthelocalauthority.Anacademyhasseveraldifferencesfromacommunityschool,including:

·          Beingresponsibleforitslandandbuildings;

·          FreedomfromtherequirementtofollowtheNationalCurriculum;

·          Beingtheemployerofitsstaff;

·          Receivingitsshareofthefundingthatisretainedbythelocalauthorityformaintainedschools,andhavingtheresponsibilityforprovidingthoseservices;and

·        Beingpartofanewcharitableorganisation(theAcademyTrust)thatwouldhaveresponsibilityfortheacademy.TheGovernorsoftheAcademywouldbethedirectorsandtrusteesofthisTrust.

SomeoftheseresponsibilitiesarealreadyheldbyFoundationandVoluntary-AidedSchoolswho,forexample,owntheirlandandbuildingsandemploytheirstaff.

Therationaleforexploringacademystatus

 

Therationaleforexploringacademystatusisthat:

1.      Academieshavegreaterindependencetomakedecisionsinthebestinterestsoftheirstudents.ThisincludesgainingtheresponsibilityforsomeservicescurrentlyprovidedbytheCouncil,suchasschoolimprovement.

2.      Thenationalandlocalcontextisencouragingacademystatus,andanincreasingnumberofoutstandingschoolslocallyandnationallyhavedecidedthatacademystatusbenefitsstudents

Whataretheargumentsforandagainstconverting?

Whiledifferentpeoplewillseedifferentissuesasbeingpotentialarguments‘for’or‘against’becominganacademy,thefollowingtableoutlinessomeoftheargumentsinfavouroforagainstconversion.

Infavourofconversion	Againstconversion
Increasedautonomytomakedecisionsinstudents’bestinterests,includingresponsibilityforsomeadditionalserviceswhicharecurrentlyprovidedbythelocalauthority	Lossofthelocalauthorityasa‘safetynet’,includingforsomebuildingsissues
Academystatushassupportfromallmainpoliticalpartiesandthepolitical  encouragementtobecomeanacademyseemslikelytocontinueirrespectiveoftheoutcomeofthenextelection	Afearthatacademystatusrepresentsthefragmentation,orprivatisation,ofstateeducation.
Theschoolcouldprotectandcontinueitsethos,includingbyensuringthatmostGovernorsareparentsorstaff	Concernsthatacademiescanemployfuturenewstaffondifferenttermsandconditionstothecurrentstaff.

WherecanIfindfurtherinformation?HowcanIhavemysay?

 

MoredetailedQuestionsandAnswersaboutwhatacademystatuswouldmeanareavailableontheschoolwebsite(www.woodfield.brent.sch.uk)orfromtheschooloffice.

FurtherinformationisalsoavailableontheDepartmentforEducationwebsite(www.education.gov.uk/academies)orthroughaninternetsearchof‘academystatus’.

Youcanhaveyoursayby:

·          Email–admin@woodfield.brent.sch.uk

·          Post–WoodfieldSchool,GlenwoodAvenue,Kingsbury,NW97LY

OpportunitieshavebeenarrangedforparentsandstafftomeetGovernorsandhearmoreabouttheissues.