Meeting with Parents, Carers andStakeholders of West Kingsdown Churchof England Primary School
Purpose of the meeting
•To provide information on the academy conversionprocess and the changes to the status of the school
•To explain the role of the sponsor and the academy trustonce the school becomes an academy
•To explain the vision and plans for West Kingsdowngoing forward
•To answer any questions about academy conversion
When will the school become an academy?
•Academy Order – 1st April 2015
•Consultation with staff, parents and the local community iscomplete
•The legal documentation between the Local Authority andthe Diocese for the academy transfer is complete and agreed
•The Department of Education enter into a funding agreementwith the sponsor
What happens when the school converts
•School moves out of the direct responsibility of Kent CountyCouncil and passes to RDAT
•Academy is funded directly by Department of Education
•Staff become direct employees of RDAT
•School ceases and the academy opens
What are the key changes?
•West Kingsdown will be given academy status and jointhe Rochester Diocesan Academy Trust
•The Academy will receive its funding directly from theDepartment of Education and have greater financialfreedom
•West Kingsdown can develop its own curriculum suitedto the needs of the children; it does not have to followthe National Curriculum unless the school wishes
•The Academy will be able to begin to benefit from beingpart of the Diocesan Academy Trust
Financial benefits of academy conversion
School receives additional funding:
•Pre-opening grants - legal fees, academyconversion costs and school improvement - £110K
•Environmental Improvement Grant - £40K
•Academy Start-up Grant - £110K over 2 years
Total: £260K
What stays the same?
•West Kingsdown remains a Church of England school with aChristian ethos and religious character
•Local Governing Body remain in place but will be accountableto Directors of the Trust
•Children will have the same teachers - staff transferred to thetrust - employment rights are protected
•Admissions arrangements – same policy as current school
•No change to the daily operation of the school - term dates,uniform, length of school day, clubs, dinner money
Any Questions?
The SponsorThe Rochester Diocesan Academy TrustR.D.A.T
Rochester Diocesan Board of Education
Aims of the Board
•To promote Christian distinctiveness and support excellencein Christian education by working closely with schools,churches and parishes
•To develop and facilitate collaborative partnerships andnetworks which are sustainable and create positiverelationships between those involved in Christian Education
Rochester Diocesan Academy Trust (RDAT)
•The Rochester Diocesan Academy Trust was established in
October 2012 - independent charitable trust set up by the Diocese
•To create a strong family of Church academies which can workcollaboratively together
•To maintain and ensure the rapid improvement of sponsored Churchschools across the diocese
•The trust will act as sponsor for Church and Community schools who
wish to become an academy within the Diocese
•For Church schools which are being directed to become asponsored academy by the Department of Education
Our Vision
‘Strong Christian Values and
Educational excellence for all’
West Kingsdown C of E Primary School
to become a ‘Centre of Excellence’
for primary education recognised in the
local area and beyond
Our Ethos
The Christian ethos of West Kingsdown is the core foundation of
the academy and is integral to its character.
We value every child, ensuring that they develop
their individual talents and skills to become
happy and successful learners, founded upon
Christian values and practice, within our
caring school community.
•
Our Commitment
Our aim is to ensure that all our Churchacademies provide an outstanding educationfor all their pupils and maintain the strongChristian ethos which is core to our vision
We expect that all schools will be judged as‘Good’ or better by Ofsted within two years ofjoining the Diocesan Academy Trust
How we will achieve our commitment
•Trust Directors will work closely with the Local GoverningBody to improve standards across the school
•Local Governing Body will monitor the performance of theschool and be accountable to Trust Directors
•The Trust will provide support to Governors and Leadershipthrough our School Improvement Partner
•The Academy Trust will provide opportunities for leadershipdevelopment and training across its group of academies
•
Our Core Values
Christian belief that all people are uniquely created by Godand loved by God.
Children deserve an excellent education which should bepersonalised and meet their needs
Raise standards and transforming the life chances of thecommunity which the Academy serves.
The values of respect, service, truth,
trust and integrity
Benefits of Joining RDAT
•Stability and protection in a fast changing educationallandscape
•Support for schools requiring rapid improvement andschools aspiring to become ‘Outstanding’
•Strong strategic guidance and advice from our experienceddirectors who believe in Christian Education
•Economies of scale, cost savings and value for moneyfrom a range of services centrally procured by the trust
•Professional development and training for staff across thegroup of academies
Governance arrangements
•Local Governing Bodies remain responsible for academiesreporting directly to the Trust Board
•Directors oversee the strategic direction of all academieswithin the trust
•‘Scheme of delegation’ used to delegate powers LocalGoverning Body
Our Directors & Staff
Nine Directors who are experienced educationalists including
serving Headteachers of our Outstanding schools and
the Director of Education
Operations Director Chair of Trust Director of Education
School Improvement
•All teaching and learning to be ‘Good’ or better in 2 yearsand aspire to be an Outstanding academy
•Department of Education require all Sponsors to have a‘School Improvement Partner’ or capacity to deliver this
•Cambridge Education – school improvement expertsavailable to support the governors and leadership
•Professional development and training for all staff andleaders