Becoming an Academy What it means for Clerks and the Governing Body Clerks’ Briefing Sessions September 2010

What is an academy? Academies are publicly-funded schools which operate outside of local authority control. The government describes them as independent state-funded schools. Essentially, academies have more freedom than other state schools over their finances, the curriculum, and teachers' pay and conditions.

Funding A key difference is that they are funded directly by central government, instead of receiving their funds via a local authority.

4 The curriculum Academies do not have to follow the national curriculum. They can choose their own curriculum, as long as it is "broad and balanced"

5 Don't academies exist already? Yes, there are more than 200 of them in England at the moment, all secondary schools. They were established by the Labour government, seen as a way of turning around the worst-performing schools and schools in disadvantaged areas.

6 What is the government's vision for academies? The coalition wants all schools to have the chance to become academies, including primary and special schools, as part of an "education revolution". …the government says becoming academies will "give schools the freedoms and flexibilities they need to continue to drive up standards".

7 Change of focus However, in contrast to Labour, the coalition is focusing first on the top end of schools. It wants to enable schools judged "outstanding" by Ofsted to convert into academies by September, although it then wants successful schools to mentor struggling ones schools registered an interest in the summer – just 142 schools have become academies, 3 in Essex.

8 What is a free school? Free schools are schools which will be set up by groups of parents, teachers, charities, trusts, religious and voluntary groups. They will be set up as academies and will be funded in the same way - directly from central government.

9 So is there a difference between free schools and academies? Essentially not, because free schools will be established as academies. But the free schools programme will give parents and teachers the chance to initiate in the creation of a new school if they are unhappy with state schools in a particular local area.

10 What happens to the schools left under local authority control? They will stay as they are.

11 How will academies be regulated? They will be subject to inspections by England's schools inspectors Ofsted as other schools are. The results of their public exams will continue to be published.

12 The Department for Education has produced a list of "Frequently asked questions" on academies for its website."Frequently asked questions" ademies/faqs

13 Which schools can apply to become academies? Only schools (primary, secondary and special schools) that have been rated outstanding overall in their most recent Ofsted inspection are eligible to convert to academies through this process.

What will the responsibilities of the governing body be? The governing body will be responsible for establishing the academy trust. The academy trust (a charitable company limited by guarantee) will then enter into a funding agreement with the Secretary of State for the running of the academy.

The academy trust An academy trust is a charitable company responsible for the running of the academy and has control over the land and other assets. It has a strategic role in running the academy, but delegates management of the school to the governors.

Will academy governing bodies continue in their current form? There is no requirement for outstanding schools converting to an academy to have an external sponsor.

What are the rules around appointing the governing body? The governing body will be appointed by the academy trust. The process for governor elections is set out in the articles of association and agreed between the academy trust and the Secretary of State.

How much additional responsibility and liability is involved for the governing body and how is it protected/insured? The academy trust (a charitable company limited by guarantee) is the legal entity that will be responsible for the running of the school and entering into contracts.