PROPOSED FEDERATION OF BILBROOKCE(C)MIDDLE SCHOOL

AND PERTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

Background

Both schools continue to serve their communities well. This is endorsed in recent Ofsted reports, in which both are judged to be ‘good schools’.

BilbrookCE(C)Middle School

“A good school that has improved considerably since its last inspection. Progress with the specific issues identified at that time has been good and standards have improved across the school. The school has focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning across the school, which is good. The curriculum is also good.

Good leadership and management at all levels have brought about consistency and improved standards and achievement.”

PertonMiddle School

“Continues to deliver an effective education for all of its pupils. This is primarily because the quality of teaching is good throughout the school, thanks to the expert and enthusiastic staff who thoroughly enjoy their work. As a result, pupils become enthusiastically involved in learning, and so make good progress.

The headteacher and leadership team have continued to develop the curriculum and introduce even better approaches to developing the social and emotional skills of pupils.

The school has successfully maintained standards despite reductions in resources due to falling rolls.”

Governors of both schools welcome the positive outcomes of their inspections, but challenges remain if both schools are to maintain and develop those high standards as rolls continue to fall. As such, discussions have taken place between the two governing bodies and the local authority to identify how best to support both school communities. It has been agreed that a (hard) federation of the two schools should be formed as the most effective way forward.

In the event of a decision being taken to federate the two schools, collaborative work will continue with CodsallMiddle School andCodsallHigh School to further enhance opportunities for our pupils.

Proposal:

That from 1st September 2010, Bilbrook CE(C) Middle School and Perton Middle School enter into a (hard)federation in accordance with The School Governance (Federation) (England) Regulations 2007.

What is a Federation?

A hard federation is a formal and legal agreement by which the two schools will have a single governing body that is formally reconstituted. Both schools will retain their own identity and ethos. Bilbrook will continue to be a voluntary controlled Church of England school and Perton will continue to be a community school.

Why federate?

Schools are funded on the number of pupils on roll and, like many schools, both are experiencing falling numbers which means a reduction in the level of funding. Governors are committed to not only maintain the quality educational provision recognised by Ofsted but also to seek continual improvement for the benefit of pupils in both school communities. By entering into a federation, a single governing body will be able to ensure that the schools work together efficiently and sustainably to enhance the provision and opportunities for pupils and staff of both schools.

Further details about federation and the educational benefits it can help bring about can be found at the end of the report and on the schools’ websites.

Leadership and Staffing of the Federation

Headteacher

Every school must have a substantive headteacher and a federation can retain a headteacher in each school or just have one headteacher (known as an executive headteacher). An executive headteacher has responsibility for the leadership, internal organisation, management and control of all schools in a federation but remains accountable to the single governing body.

Following the decision of Mr Kerin Jones, headteacher of PertonMiddle School, to retire with effect from Easter 2010, governors of both schools considered the options available to them and agreed in principle to appoint an executive headteacher. A further statement regarding this appointment will be issued in due course. In reaching this decision governors took account of the leadership arrangements in other federations being established both locally and nationally

Other Staff

Staff will remain contracted to the school to which they were originally appointed prior to the federation, undertaking duties in that school. But one of the advantages of federation is that, on occasions, they could be deployed across both schools to help support identified needs. Both governing bodies are already committed to the sharing of staff across both schools where necessary to safeguard curriculum delivery.

Once federated, the governors will have the option of appointing any new staff to work in one or both of the schools.

All appointments will remain subject to The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2003.

Admissions Policy

Pupil admissions to either of the schools will continue to be determined by Staffordshire Local Authority, as the admissions authority, and there will be no change to this process.

Composition of the Governing Body

It is intended that the governing body of the federated schools will have equal representation from the two school communities.

It is proposed that a governing body of 26 members be established with the following composition:

No of Governors / Parents / Community / Staff / Local Authority / Church Foundation
26 / 9
Bilbrook 4
Perton 5 / 6
Bilbrook 2
Perton 4 / 5
1 Head
Bilbrook 2
Perton 2 / 2 / 3

The Consultation Process

The consultation process is the opportunity for all those associated with the two schools to make their views known regarding the proposal to federate. The consultation period will commence with the publication of the document on Monday, 4 January 2010 and will be completed by Monday, 22 February 2010. During this period there will be a series of consultation meetings to be held in each school. Details of these are:

Meeting / Bilbrook / Perton
Staff and Unions / 3.30pm,
Tuesday 19th January / 3.30pm,
Thursday 14th January
Parents / Public / 7.00pm,
Tuesday 19th January / 7.00pm,
Thursday 14th January

Your views on the proposal to federate are important and we look forward to seeing you at the meetings. Written responses are also welcomed and should be sent to the respective chair of governors at the school by 22 February 2010. The outcomes of the consultation process will form a report to go to both governing bodies and all views expressed will be taken into account by the individual governing bodies, who will then decide whether or not to proceed with the federation.

Mr R TimbrellMrs S Rudling

Chair of GovernorsChair of Governors

BilbrookCE(C)Middle SchoolPertonMiddle School

BilbrookGainsborough Drive

CodsallPerton

Wolverhampton WV8 1EUWolverhampton WV6 7NR

email: email:

WebsiteWebsite

Federation – Further Information

What does hard federation mean for the Schools?

The federation that we are consulting on is the logical development of the collaborative arrangements already in place between the two schools.

Federation is an opportunity for schools to work closely together whilst retaining their own character and ethos. Our schools have been working successfully in partnership for a number of years now and a (hard) federation is seen as an opportunity to formalise those arrangements and continue to build on the progress being made.

Key features of a (hard) federation at a glance are:

  • A single governing body is able to make efficient, streamlined decisions in all areas.
  • Both schools continue to receive a budget based on the Staffordshire and national formulae, but a joint governing body has greater flexibility in the spending of the budgets to best meet the needs of both schools.
  • Shared management positions, including the possible appointment of an executive headteacher, and other staff appointments are agreed in a simple, effective manner because there is a single governing body.
  • Schools in a Federation retain their own separate identity, each with a unique DCSF number, a separate budget and separate accountability to the Local Authority and Ofsted for the quality of education provided and the standards achieved.

Conditions for successful hard federation

The DCSF provides advice on the most significant characteristics of a successful federation, based on the experiences of other schools that have already federated. The likely conditions for a successful federation include:

  • A sense of shared identity between schools.
  • A strong sense of common purpose, with schools involved having a shared sense of what needs to be done, how it is done and a joint vision for improving the attainment, achievement and progression of their pupils.
  • A strong cohesive leadership and an interest in developing leadership at all levels in the federated schools.
  • A strong management infrastructure with the capacity to deliver the school improvement agenda.
  • Trust built into every level of management the ability to share a sense of openness and willingness to operate in a joined-up and united way.
  • Schools prepared to commit time and resources to ensure that the federation is effective and sustainable. There must be a strong commitment to raising standards and achievement in both schools in the federation and to continually improve progression for their pupils.

Through our ongoing discussions, governors are confident that the positive relationship of our two schools meets all of the above criteria for a successful federation.

Benefits of Hard Federation

Having due regard to the conditions for a successful federation, it is anticipated that a (hard) federation between Bilbrook CE(C) and Perton Middle schools will build on the successes already achieved and produce the following benefits:

  • Develop the strong focus on raising standards, improving the quality of learning and securing a shared ethos across the two schools.
  • Enhance governor support and development.
  • Create opportunities to maintain and extend a broad curriculum.
  • Identify, share, develop and create knowledge, skill and expertise across the whole curriculum to improve the professional practices of teachers and support staff.
  • Create an enhanced culture of networked-learning in and between schools based on an atmosphere of collegiality, effective professional relationship and trust.
  • Distribute and develop leadership by providing extensive opportunities across a wide- range of contexts within and between the schools linked to a clear succession plan.
  • Enable the schools to create systems and allocate time that better address the strategic needs of the schools.
  • Share and extend the range of accommodation, facilities, equipment and resources available to the two schools and thus impact positively on the quality of educational provision and the development of professional practice.
  • Provide wider career opportunities for staff through a variety of experiences within a range of different settings linked to the settings of the individual schools.
  • Avoid duplication of effort or resource, while at the same time improving the quality and range of support to the two schools.
  • Facilitate the joint appointment of staff to the federation and to deploy (as needed) staff across the federation.
  • Achieve economies of scale and enhanced purchasing power. For example, single maintenance contracts for buildings, grounds, ICT equipment, etc.
  • Achieve better outcomes for staff in terms of professional development opportunities. The federation should increase the capacity for high quality coaching and mentoring between the schools.

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