Swiss Foundation Trust Consultation
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Transcript of Swiss Foundation Trust Consultation
- 1. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
OUR AIM: PROFESSIONAL UNITY
2. Trust / Foundation Schools Presentation
This presentation is in four sections.
Questions to ask at consultation meetings.
A look at the 14 week processof becoming a Foundation School.
TRUST SCHOOLS
FOUNDATION SCHOOLS
What we can do.
3. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
SECTION ONE
4. Questions you might like to ask as part of the
Consultation
5. Questions that need answering...
Question 1
The governors that are appointed by the Trust who are they going to
be? How are they chosen?
6. Question 2
Why is this new trust/foundation status needed if the proposed
partnership schools are already workingin highly successful
relationships with each other?
What are the problems currently being faced that are making the
proposed school governing bodies consider going down this
route?
7. Question 3
It has been stated that schools in the SWISS partnership can only
meet the requirements of 14-19 learning by working in a
partnership. If this is the case then:
Are we not meeting the requirements at present?
How is it that the majority of state schools are not trusts or
foundation and yet they appear to manage successful partnerships
where necessary?
8. Question 4
Linked to the thought from question 3, do you mean that students
will have to move between partner schools to cover the 14-19
curriculum? If so:
What will be the impact on school budgets of transportation costs
for the students and staff involved?
How is it proposed that this will happen without the cost being
detrimental to the education of the students?
9. Question 5
How will school communities and pastoral care be addressed
effectively with the institution of multi-school trust/foundation
status?
What will be the impact on Every Child Matters for instance?
How is the lost travelling time to be made up?
Will the school day have to be lengthened?
How will this improve the lot of the average partnership
student?
10. Question 6
It is amiable that the partnership schools intend to continue the
good work of building business links.
Could Foundation Status lead to school fields and property being
sold off for development in the future?
What safeguards are in place to prevent this from happening?
Is this how sustainability is to be achieved by the
partnership?
11. Question 7
Can schools in a partnership continue to have individual vision and
aims? How much room for individual development is there?
If a school does not feel that membership of the partnership is
benefitting their school can they opt out of it in the
future?
12. Question 8
Please, for the following partners, can you detail exactly what
they are going to invest into the partnership schools and what
exactly they will receive back from the partnership?
East of England Cooperative Society
Ipswich Town Football Club
ISG Jackson
SNOASIS
Willis
What were the criteria used to select these partners and where were
the guidelines for this drawn from?
13. Question 9
How is the greater autonomy that Foundation Schools will have in
employing staff and securing services going to benefit the students
and staff at the schools, and indeed the wider community?
Will duplicating services and weakening the LEA lead to a hike in
costs?
What will be the role of the LEA in this? How will it have
changed?
14. Question 10
What efforts have been made to involve the recognised trades unions
in these consultations?
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers
The NASUWT
The National Union of Teachers
Voice
Unison
Will these unions continue to be recognised in the proposed
partnership schools should they become Foundation/Trust
schools?
Is SWISS aware of how many trades union members will be effected by
this?
15. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
SECTION TWO
16. All the time in the world?
17. Changing status Going Foundation The minimum time for
completing the process is 14 weeks
WEEK 1
Information gathering
Agree a draft proposal to put to the governing body
18. Weeks 2-7
WEEK 2
Governing body meeting to agree to consult
Inform the LA by letter of the date and time of this meeting
If you are a VC school inform the Diocese of Trustees by letter of
the date and time of this meeting
WEEKS 3 7
Issue consultation document and allow four weeks for
responses
19. Weeks 8-14
WEEKS 8 9
Governing body considers responses to consultation and decides
whether or not to proceed
WEEKS 10 13
Publish statutory notice start of statutory 4 week representation
period
WEEK 14
Governing body meeting to consider responses and make decision
about whether to proceed with changing status
20. Weeks 14-15
WEEKS 14 15
Apply for a new Instrument of Government
Inform parents and other consultees of your final decision
21. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
SECTION THREE
22. Concerns over Trust Schools
We are concerned that private sector involvement as sponsors of
Trust schools could lead to them having control of school land and
premises; enable them to shape the curriculum and dominate the
governance of schools.
Trust school status could undermine the communities of
schools.Local authorities would no longer have the capacity to
target, flexibly support and advise schools and the ability to
co-ordinate effectively the Every Child Matters agenda.
Each Trust would have its own admissions policy; a situation which
could lead to an increase in covert selection.
The NUT believes, therefore, that the Governments promotion of
Trust school status will lead to the establishment of a framework
which will facilitate the ability of a future government to
dismantle comprehensive education.
23. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
SECTION FOUR
24. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
Governing bodies in Foundation Schools will be less democratic and
less representative.
The foundation will be able to appoint a majority of governing body
places.This will require a major change to the composition of the
governing bodies of community schools when they change to
foundation status.This is likely to reduce the numbers of elected
parent governors.Governors elected by parents will be replaced by
parents appointed by the Foundation.
25. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
Four sponsor governors will be appointed as opposed to the current
two.This will compound the reduction in democratically elected
places on governing bodies.There is the potential for there to be
tensions between foundation and sponsor governors, and the remnants
of the directly elected constituency of governors.
26. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
The NUT has grave concerns about the influence of sponsors, not
least because educational expertise is not a condition of
involvement.Individual sponsors may have backgrounds in
construction, recruitment, transportation, publishing, football
clubs, holidays and leisure rather than education.Even sponsors
from religious education foundations or the independent school
sector have little experience in dealing with the multitude of
social factors facing inner city schools.
27. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
Schools will not receive the same level of support and advice from
the local authority particularly in key areas such as preparing for
school inspections.This can only be to the detriment of the quality
of education provided by schools and the work done by local
educational authorities.
Schools will no longer enjoy the value-added of local authority
services such as EMAG; school improvement support and subject
consultancy services but be confined to receiving the purchased
contracted time, if they choose to buy.
28. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
The streamlining arrangements may enable, or even encourage,
schools to acquire foundation status without adequate
consideration.There is a clear danger that much time and effort at
school and local authority levels will be diverted from the
continuing pursuit of improved standards into establishing and
supporting new structures.
29. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
The Government proposes to make changes so that in future a
Foundation School should be able to increase sponsors from two to
four.In effect, this will reduce the number of democratically
elected governors on governing bodies.There could be potential
tensions between foundation sponsors and the remnant of the
directly elected constituencies of governors such as parent
governors and staff governors.
30. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
Divisions considering a change of school category to foundation
status should check whether new arrangements are different from the
BurgundyBook arrangements.Where governing bodies seek to alter
their position and seek to determine teachers conditions of
service, the relevant NUT regional office will need to be contacted
for advice.
31. Our Concerns over Foundation Status
The Governments proposals envisage a major transfer of the
stewardship of public assets to school governing bodies and the
acquisition of new responsibilities by governing bodies.The
Government describes foundation status as ameans to promote,
innovation and educational entrepreneurship, giving school leaders
more freedom to decide how best to meet the needs of their pupils,
parents and wider communities.The Government has yet to publish any
evidence that supports its arguments that the quality of education
is enhanced by a school acquiring foundation status.
32. To join the NUT phone0845 300 1669
SECTION FIVE
33. What can the Unions do?
As you are probably aware the NUT has major concerns about the
proposal to form foundation schools and to adopt charitable trust
status. We are urging our members in the schools affected to meet
together and to discuss this proposal. Reps should also try to
co-ordinate meetings with the other unions in the schools.REMEMBER
OUR MAIN CONCERNS ARE:
- the possibility of altering pay and condition for teachers and
support staff after Foundation Status has been adopted.- the
increased involvement of business in education- the possibility of
altering admissions policy and the effect on the future of
comprehensive education.- the feeling that this proposal is being
rail-roaded without real consultation.As part of the consultation
process opponents of the proposal are entitled to write to parents
expressing their concerns. The school NUT reps should also write to
the governing body outlining their opposition.
34. What can the Unions do?
Your local NUT officers are here to support you, just click on a
link to email: