The Academy Consultation Process

Who to Consult?

Consulting the full list would be considered good practice

Foundation/Trust, Parents, Pupils, Staff, LA: Staff unions/ associations, Diocese & Other local schools

(Staff don’t have to be consulted except for TUPE later in the process)

Questions:

Would we want to give notice to all these groups prior to formal consultation?

Do we have contacts for all these groups before proceeding to consultation?

If emboldened this is a statutory requirement?

When to consult?

Before the Governing Body makes its final decision

Avoid perception of decision already having been taken

How To Inform?

Hard copy letter

On-line website

Email

Newsletter

Meetings – School Council, Parent Forums, staff Letter/ email to Headteacher and Chair of Governor of local schools Community or parish magazine W

Who decides on the way in which groups are informed?

Governing Body/ Working Party/ school

Questions raised in Meetings of e.g. School Council, Parent Forums Governing Body should publish the answers

What information should be provided

NCOGS suggest you consult parents, students, staff and local partners. In order for the consultation to be meaningful, full information on the implications would need to be provided. Information could include:

• Main advantages identified by the governing body – including what you would do differently with constraints removed

• The disadvantages that the governing body considered

• details of the proposed academy arrangements;

• details of the proposed governance arrangements including details of the directors of the company which will enter into the Academy arrangements and details of the composition of the governing body;

• any proposed changes in the arrangements for the curriculum, for special educational needs, for pupil discipline, exclusion and for complaints, and confirmation that there will be no change in the admissions arrangements;

• details of the additional money which would be available to the school (either as capital or revenue funding) if it became an academy;

• details of any additional obligations and costs which fall on the school if it became an academy; and details of the support that is proposed to be given to other schools and any other possible effect on other schools. The conclusions you reach as you consider each of the ‘differences and implications’ should have been noted so that they can be included in your consultation document.

Suggested consultation pro forma linked here.

http://www.ncogs.org.uk/emie/inc/fd.asp?user=&doc=AcademystatusTopic1%2Edoc

Timescale

Deadline for responses Allowing reasonable time for stakeholders to respond while maintaining momentum

How to collect and collate views?

Do we know what we want to get out of the consultation process?

What kind of information would be useful?

Methods of collection – questionnaire/statement inviting comments/interviews/ meetings? Sample size?

Responses to go to……. Once you have the data, will it be easy to analyse?

Reporting the results of consultation to the GB

Agree working party members who will collate responses.

Schedule working party meeting to agree report for governing body


Full Credit & Thanks to NCOGS for their Academy Tool-kit on the Consultation process.

http://www.ncogs.org.uk/emie/inc/fd.asp?user=&doc=AcademystatusTopic1%2Edoc