Academies

A secondary school shows how it achieved a perfect Ofsted report

A secondary school shares how it achieved the top grade in every category of the new Ofsted Inspection Framework. Harris City Academy in Crystal Palace, south London, scored grade 1 in every single category of the Ofsted Inspection Framework, making it the first school to achieve a perfect Ofsted report. Principal Steve Kenning runs through how the top grade was achieved. Ranging from the structures in place in school, to the exceptionally high expectations of all students and staff, he outlines the building blocks of his successful school.

A Perfect Ofsted

Mike Baker visits a new academy to see how they are progressing

Mike Baker visits one of 32 schools to be granted academy status and finds out how things have changed for them. Watford Grammar School For Boys is to be granted academy status, under the coalition government's new Academies Act. The Academies Act means all schools can apply to become academies, with outstanding primary, secondary and special schools given priority. This video assesses in detail the major areas of consideration for a school planning on becoming an academy. Mike Baker talks to the head teacher, Martin Post, about the process of becoming an academy school and the school's motivations behind the move, including financial implications, teachers pay, special education needs and the role of local authorities. There is also an interview with the head of Woodberry Down primary school, who are opting to become an academy. Peter Downes, the Liberal Democrat councillor who spoke against academies at the Liberal Democrat Party conference, also offers his thoughts.

Academies in Detail

How academy status can affect admission procedures

Discover more about the options for admission procedures for academies, as four principles of existing primary and secondary academies share their experiences in this school management resource. The principals talk about their admission policies and how academy funding agreements require them to adhere to local authority admission arrangements. Sir Michael Wilshaw of Mossbourne Academy, explains to headteachers perhaps wishing to switch to academy status in order to become a selective school, that they should "forget about it. This is about providing a first class educational service to children across the ability range". 10 per cent of an academy's intake can be selected on the basis of aptitude in a specialist subject, but not many academies put this into practice. The other principals featured are Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Admissions

A discussion of school finance in relation to becoming an academy

Taking a look at the issue of school finance, four principals of existing primary and secondary academies discuss how academy status has affected their funding, in this school management resource. Academies are funded directly by the government, rather than being "top-sliced" by local authorities, which means larger budgets, and more freedom over how the money is spent. The principals outline what they see as benefits of being independent from their local authority. Being an academy also brings the freedom to choose which services to buy from the local authority and which ones to buy in independently. Extra funding is also used to employ more staff and provide bonuses. The four principals featured are Sir Michael Wilshaw from Mossbourne Academy, Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Budget

Monitoring one primary school's move towards becoming an academy

A primary school debates the merits and affects of becoming an academy. Headteacher, Andrew Carter, at South Farnham School, talks about the long process of becoming an academy and how a possible merger with another primary school might also delay their progress. Sue Shoveller, deputy head, talks about how the LA have been helping them to clarify what would happen if they were to become an academy. She points out that the LA's Buyback financial arrangements is under threat if schools leave their care. Phil Austen-Jones an assistant headteacher, is thinking about VAT, maternity, buildings insurance and personnel issues. South Farnham is an early adopter, so their governing body is looking at all the details before agreeing to academy status. Andrew introduces his school bursar , the key member of his academy planning team Claire Booth, who talks about the importance of having systems in place from the start, so that the school's budget can deliver as much as possible for the children.

Catching up with South Farnham

A progress update on a brand new academy

The Westlands Academy Trust officially opened on 1 September 2010 and this video diary provides an update on their progress since then. Headteacher, Jon Whitcombe, and his deputy, Simon Cox, describe how the school is getting used to the changes and how they've settled into being an academy. Jon talks about giving all the staff their P45s, to confirm the change of employer, and says how some of the business terms, like Chief Executive and Directors, don't work in a school. Jon is happy to keep his original job title as headteacher and is busy working alongside his team of governors to allocate their new budget. Understanding the real freedom of academy status means the chance to be more entrepreneurial, and Jon has thoughts for how his curriculum might change to reflect the needs and interests of the children in his care. The staff at Westlands Academy Trust also comment on how they feel about becoming an academy.

Catching up with Westlands

Discussing the curriculum choices that academy status brings

Looking at what academy status means for the curriculum, four principals of established primary and secondary academies share their views in this school management resource. Being independent of local authorities, academies are free to restructure the school year and set their own curriculum, as long as it is "broad and balanced". Areas covered include "the advantages of being free to choose the curriculum that best suits the children", the "benefits of operating a longer school day" and why none of the academies featured have as yet chosen to restructure their academic year. The four principals featured are Sir Michael Wilshaw from Mossbourne Academy, Venessa Willms from King Solomon Academy Primary, Steve Kenning from Harris City Academy and Sally Coates from Burlington Danes Academy.

Curriculum

Principals explain how academy status affects school governance

Principals of established academies talk about how academy status affects school governance, the advantages of academy status, and the new responsibilities it brings, in this school governance resource. For Sally Coates, principal of Burlington Danes Academy, being an academy means a "smaller, tighter governing body". Sir Michael Wilshaw of Mossbourne Academy, explains how one of the main benefits is being able to make "financial decisions very quickly without writing letters in triplicate to the local education authority". Venessa Willms at King Solomon Academy, Primary, and Steve Kenning at Harris City Academy, Crystal Palace, also share their views on governance and responsibility in this video which covers both primary and secondary academies.

Governance and Responsibilities

A look at one of England's top achieving schools

The principal of Mossbourne Community Academy shows how the school has achieved impressive GCSE results and Value Added scores, despite being in one of the most socially and economically deprived parts of the UK. Principal Sir Michael Wilshaw runs through what he believes are the five main reasons for the Hackney-based school's success; providing a structured environment; insistence on good behaviour; devolved management; quality teaching and learning, and consistent assessment. These policies resulted in 85 per cent of the Academy's pupils achieved five A* - C at GCSE in 2009, including both English and maths - above the national average The school's Value Added score is 1072, making it the top performing school nationally for Value Added.

Mossbourne Community Academy

The new freedoms and opportunities that come with academy status

Headteachers from two schools discuss the freedom academy status entails relating to work, pay and term-times. Westlands Academy Trust and soon-to-be academy, South Farnham, share their thoughts and ideas on the process of gaining academy status. When signing up as an academy, staff terms and conditions can be altered. This means outstanding teachers could be paid more, school hours could change and holiday dates could be amended. Both headteachers, emphasise that any alterations will be to the benefit of all staff, rather than worsening conditions.

Professional Development for Quality Teaching

Whole school

> Secondary Academies