Proposal to Include Rossmore Community College As an Academy Within the Building Schools

BOROUGH OF POOLE

CABINET

9 SEPTEMBER 2008

(CHILDREN’S SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME BOARD

28 AUGUST 2008)

PROPOSAL TO INCLUDE ROSSMORE COMMUNITY COLLEGE AS AN ACADEMY WITHIN THE BUILDING SCHOOLS FOR THE FUTURE PROGRAMME: REPORT OF STRATEGIC DIRECTOR (CHILDREN’S SERVICES)

1. PURPOSE

1.1To inform Members of the opportunity to include an Academy within the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and to propose that Rossmore Community College be considered as the Academy.

1. DECISIONS REQUIRED

2.1That Council be recommended to:

(i)approve the Expression of Interest (EOI) to include Rossmore Community College as an Academy within the BSF programme to the Department for Children, Schools and Families; and

(ii)authorise the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services to sign the EOI on behalf of the Council;

1. BACKGROUND

3.1The BSF Programme

3.1.1Members will be aware that the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has allocated the joint Poole / Bournemouth BSF initiative in Wave 6 of the BSF programme. For Poole this means that, subject to DCSF approval at the relevant stages, the following Secondary phase schools will be rebuilt / refurbished / transformed over the next 10 years:

Ashdown Technology College

Rossmore Community College

Montacute School

Winchelsea School

3.1.2The capacity of Parkstone Grammar, Poole High and Poole Grammar schools will be increased by 2013 as a result of the successful Targeted Capital Bid (TCB) submitted in 2005 to support the change in the age pupils transfer from the Primary phase to the Secondary phase at age 11.

3.1.3The transformation of Primary phase schools has already been agreed by Members under the Primary Strategy for Change submitted to DCSF, to which a response is expected at the end of September 2008.

3.1.4In respect of the BSF programme the Council, jointly with Bournemouth, needs to demonstrate that it can secure:

• outstanding designs in a school estate rationalised and equipped for 21st century learning, at the heart of the community, with a range of children’s services in reach of every family
• a strategic approach to capital investment
• improved standards in all schools
• innovative, high quality teaching and learning for all
• increased diversity of provision to meet parental choice – including through Academies and Trust schools where appropriate and the expansion of successful and popular schools
• the removal of surplus places
• focusing resources on deprived areas
• school buildings and grounds that support the principles of sustainable development through their design, construction and operation
• schools relevant and accessible to local communities
• extensive local collaboration and parental involvement.

3.1.5From the above criteria it can be seen that one of the key areas for transformation is diversity of provision to meet parental choice, including through Academies and Trust schools and where appropriate the expansion of successful and popular schools. Being a small LA the Council has a limited number of Secondary phase schools. However, through its Foundation and Faith schools as well as its Community schools it does provide diversity of choice. In addition Montacute School became a Trust school in April 2008. The TCB funding together with a successful BSF bid will also enable successful and popular schools to expand as appropriate.

3.1.6In March 2007 Ministers announced that the Academies building programme would be integrated more closely with the BSF programme.

3.2Why an Academy

3.2.1The aims of the Academies programme are to raise educational standards and to reduce the effects of economic and social deprivation. The vision for an academy should focus on how it will address under-performance and educational deprivation through effective and innovative approaches to:

• the broad educational ethos of the proposed Academy and how it will aim to secure the highest standards of achievement
• the specialism(s) and how it will fit with local need and existing / planned local provision and how it will help to raise standards
• delivering a 14 – 19 curriculum that offers a broad range of vocational and academic routes
• the design and delivery of the Academy’s innovative curriculum which will raise standards and transform the opportunities available to students
• the proposed leadership, management and governance policies of the Academy
• the way in which the Academy will interact with its local community, including any proposals for use of the Academy’s premises by community groups or extended school activities
• the way in which the Academy Trust will use the charitable trust fund established with the sponsorship donation to support its charitable aims and vision.

3.2.2Academies are all-ability, state funded schools established and managed by sponsors from a wide range of backgrounds, including high performing schools and colleges, universities, individual philanthropists, businesses, the voluntary sector and the faith communities. Some are established educational providers, and all of them bring a record of success in other enterprises which they are able to apply to their Academies in partnership with experienced school managers.

3.2.3Academies are set up with the backing of their LA, which also has a seat on the Governing Body. Academies are not maintained by the LA but they collaborate closely with it and with other schools in the area. Academies are funded at a level comparable to other local schools in their area.

3.2.4The Governing Body and the Headteacher have responsibility for managing the Academy. In order to determine the ethos and leadership of the Academy, and ensure clear responsibility and accountability, the sponsor(s) always appoints the majority of the governors. The expectation is that the Governing body will be relatively small.

3.2.5All Academies are bound by the same School Admissions Code, Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and exclusions guidance as all other state-funded schools. All new Academies are also required to follow the National Curriculum programmes of study in English, mathematics, science and ICT. All Academies, like the majority of Secondary schools, have specialist school status, and have a specialism in one or more subjects. However, each Academy is unique in meeting its community’s requirements and circumstances.

3.3Funding and Premises

3.3.1There are three types of funding for Academies: initial grants for the revenue costs of feasibility planning and the implementation of plans to establish an Academy; capital grants for buildings; and funding for running costs once the Academy is open.

3.3.2The Government will agree grants with projects for feasibility and implementation work to cover areas such as project management, consultancy and transitional management and staffing costs. These grants will cover all the costs of preparing for the Academy and cover the period from the announcement of the partnership to the opening day.

3.3.3Each Academy will develop individual curriculum plans which will inform the building design process, ensuring facilities comparable with similar state-funded schools for local children and their communities. Academy buildings are procured through Partnerships for Schools (a Government agency) and Local Authorities as part of the BSF programme, and sponsorship now takes the form of an endowment fund that is not connected to building work. For some Academies there will be an extensive programme of rebuilding and refurbishment. For other complete new buildings may be necessary. Decisions about the capital project will take account of the sponsor’s views as well as expert advice commissioned by the DCSF.

3.3.4In many cases, it is expected that Academies will be housed in the refurbished or rebuilt buildings of the predecessor school, on their original site. In such cases, it is expected that that site will be leased to the Academy Trust at a nominal rent. Proposals to transfer the College to an Academy Trust will involve negotiating the terms of a long lease (usually 125 years at a peppercorn rent) and project managing interim arrangements pending refurbishment/redevelopment on site.

3.3.5On the Rossmore Community College site there is a leisure centre, a public library, a neighbourhood nursery, the Alderney Children’s Centre and a cadet training centre. The school currently has joint use of the leisure centre and the public library and this will need to continue in the future and be covered in the legal agreement between the Council and the Academy Trust.

3.3.6It is proposed that the Published Admission Number (PAN) for the Academy, when it opens in September 2010, should be 180. Rossmore Technology College currently has a PAN of 231 but there are currently in excess of 25% surplus places. However, from 2015 the number of Secondary age pupils will increase and it is currently under consideration as part of the planning for Strategy for Change Part 2 that the refurbished or rebuilt buildings should provide the school with capacity for a PAN of 240.

3.3.7In respect of running costs, Academies are funded on a comparable basis to other schools in their area with similar characteristics. Each Academy receives a General Annual Grant direct from the Government, calculated on the basis of the funding formula of the LA in which it is situated, with an additional allowance for the money which the LA hold back from maintained schools. The Annual Grant also includes a per pupil allowance in relation to the Academy’s specialism on the same basis as other maintained schools with a specialism. In addition to the Annual Grant, Academies are eligible to receive Standards Fund grant and Leadership Incentive Grant, which are routed through the LA on the same basis as other local maintained schools.

3.4Why Rossmore

3.4.1The context for proposing Rossmore Community College as an Academy is set out in Appendix A. The proposal has the full support of the Governing Body and Headteacher.

3.4.2It is recognised by the school’s leadership team, the LA, the School Improvement Partner and external consultants that over the past eighteen months there has been considerable change at the school. It has been necessary to review the vision and ethos of the school and this has been done in partnership with the proposed sponsors, the Church Of England Diocese and Bournemouth University, and the LA. The vision is contained in the Expression of Interest document (see paragraph 3.5 below). In addition considerable work has been undertaken to put systems and structures in place for the school to operate effectively and raise achievement.

3.4.3Step changes to staffing, roles, responsibilities, leadership, standards, expectations, funding priorities, attitudes, and the curriculum have formed the foundation for longer term improvement and sustainability. These have also been instrumental in developing a culture of learning and establishing a positive ethos. However, further work is required to transform learning, show evidence of progress and enable students to achieve the five outcomes of Every Child Matters.

3.4.4The recent Ofsted inspection (April 2008) judged the school to require a Notice to Improve. The Chief Inspector was of the view that the school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. Significant improvement is required in relation to raising standards and achievement, attendance and students’ literacy levels. However, the Chief Inspector also found that the Headteacher was successfully driving the improvement agenda forward while managing to balance the school budget despite falling student numbers, and stabilise staffing.

3.4.5The school, the proposed Academy sponsors and the LA strongly believe that the further improvements necessary can best be achieved by the school becoming an Academy.

3.5Establishing an Academy – Expression of Interest and Timescale

3.5.1The EOI forms one part of the process for establishing an Academy. The EOI is not a contract and does not commit the Council, or thesponsors, or the DCSF. However, it does show the agreement of all parties to the information, vision and so on set out therein. It also informs DCSF officials and Ministers when they make a decision about whether the project should proceed to the next stage (Feasibility / Outline Business Case (OBC)). The EOI is set out in a format prescribed by the DCSF at Appendix B.

3.5.2Approval of an Academy project to pass to the Feasibility / OBC stage does not necessarily mean the Academy will go ahead. The Feasibility / OBC stage provides an opportunity to consult on the Academy proposal and a chance to explore in detail the information and ideas set out in the EOI. Only if and when this process is completed satisfactorily can a Funding Agreement be signed.

3.5.3The Funding Agreement is a legal document drawn up by the DCSF which forms a contract between the Academy Trust and the Minister, formally agreeing that an Academy will open and be funded through DCSF grants. If Members agree to the EOI submission it is unlikely that the Council will be asked to consider the Funding Agreement before Easter 2009.

3.5.4Subject to all necessary consultation and agreements the opening date for the Academy would be September 2010 in the existing building and September 2013 in new / refurbished buildings.

STRATEGIC DIRECTOR (CHILDREN’S SERVICES)

Contact officers: Stuart Twiss, Head of Children and Young People’s Services – Strategy, Quality and Improvement

01202 633769

Nicola Keynes, Senior Education Officer (Planning and Development)

01202 633691

Background reports:

Schools for the Future (January 2006)

Schools for the Future – Transforming Education in Poole (October / November 2007)

Schools for the Future – Transforming Education in Poole (Second Report) (December 2007)

Schools for the Future – Transforming Education in Poole (Third Report) (January 2008)

Building Schools for the Future (May 2008)

Appendix A

The Rossmore Community College context July 2008

The school first opened 70 years ago and some still living in the community attended the original school. Most current pupils (92%) are white British. There are a significant number of Gypsy and settled Travellers but very few disclose their ethnicity. Many pupils display low levels of self-confidence and self esteem, they may have emotional difficulties, and are generally inexperienced in ‘life’. However there is small percentage of very confident, smart, and independent learners. Faith groups are not significant in number with a few considered as atheists.

Most (90%) of pupils live within school catchment area. Mobility is high and during the academic year 2006/2007 there were 56 admissions and 64 leavers. We adhere to the admissions policy but there is significant movement within Key Stage 4 particularly year 11 which does have impact.

The local community is complex. Data shows that it is in the bottom 10% of areas in England on social deprivation with a high level of poverty. It is one of two areas in the borough with very high level of deprivation, with associated high drugs and alcohol use, domestic violence, mental health referrals, and unwanted pregnancies. There is a correlation between post codes and anti-social behaviour, 40% of the community claims council tax benefits and approximately 15% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

The area has a high crime rate for the borough, with a high percentage of young offenders. There is a high percentage of hospital admissions due to accidents and injury. A significant proportion of pupils come from complex family settings and conflicts between and within some families spill over into school. Some children are reluctant to admit to their background because they are afraid they will be judged. The school has a history of low standards which often results in negative press comment which leaves parents confused. The community has mixed feeling about the school, often feeling that its reputation reflects on them.

Historically the level of literacy within the community is below the national average. However there is a steady trend towards more artisans and professionally qualified people. This includes people employed as teachers, nurses, engineers, Local Authority employees, boat builders, construction workers, and small local businesses. However a high proportion of people are employed as unskilled workers, and a significant proportion are unemployed.

There is no boundary between the school and community which means that everything happening in the community has high impact at school. Often it is difficult to focus on teaching without also knowing what’s going on at home. Some families are troubled and school staff do not yet have skills to help them. Parents tend to come directly to school if something happens at school and there is a programme to engage parents to establish a partnership with them. In general parents are interested in the progress their children make. The schools works closely with outside agencies and a part time chaplain works in school and is also a member of the Governing Body. A Community Leisure Centre, Police Base, Children’s Centre, Day Nursery, Community Library and Learning Centre share the same site

Transformation has already started towards academy status and a rebuilt school. Governors have approved the proposal and the school is working towards submitting an expression of interest to the DCSF. Significant staff reductions have been required to meet budget pressures and staff have been required to review their job descriptions and focus on school improvement. As a result, staff have intensified their efforts and a positive impact on standards can be seen.