1. Life AFTER CONVERSION

2. BACKGROUND
Currently called ‘The Catholic Academy Trust in East Berkshire’
Will be called ‘Frassati’ with 17 schools capacity – MAT 1
Currently consists of 3 schools – St Mary’s, St Francis and St Margaret Clitherow – all Primary, similar size
St Mary’s was original school who formed MAT in July 2013 – St Francis and St Margaret Clitherow converted together in Sept 2015
2 schools are due to convert and join within the next 4 months

3. What has changed? Visually day-to-day - Parents/Staff/LGB
Policies – Shared Financial Procedures, Pay and Equality.
Meetings – 1 per term – MAT Trustees – Head and Chair
Releasing staff for school improvement
Staffing capacity
Joint School teaching approaches – ‘Mathematics Mastery’
Finance – Full control of finances and budget. Responsible for setting budgets and reporting to EFA, managing new financial systems and procedures, new audit and assurance requirements and making own VAT claims

4. Finance – Challenges:
Was driven and supported by LA, increase in responsibility and workload for bursar/business manager
Mind-set change required for finance and admin team – new systems, procedures and software
Accounts prepared on accruals basis so need understanding of double entry bookkeeping
LA used to undertake ‘value for money’ process – our responsibility now but at the moment we use most of the LA services used before conversion
Finance – Opportunities:
Greater financial freedom to control strategy for using budget
Revenue and funding received on conversion allowed us some breathing space
Developing relationships between MAT schools – Sharing of expertise between finance staff very positive….also relationships with accountants and auditors
In future adopting PS Financials accounting system that will make consistent reporting across the MAT – As Mat grows we will be able to share costs
Frassati School Improvement Partnership – Outcomes for Pupils, Quality of Teaching and Leadership and Management

6. THE FUTURE? CHALLENGES:
Knowing what will be centralised in Diocese and how this will work – timeframes
Growth of MAT – how board will be structured
Role of CEO – being effective until MAT big enough to employ CEO
Financial demands until economies of scale start to benefit MAT
OPPORTUNITIES:
Protection of Catholic Ethos
Joint school improvement – training and CPD
School to school support
Shared services and consequent cost savings
Being self sustainable – generating income
Staffing – developing school leaders and succession planning
Being in a more secure position in ever changing education climate
Possibility of large MAT projects to improve our schools provision – Inclusion Centres
Flexibility and control over direction and school decisions