Trust Status

How Trust schools work

Acquiring a Trust will be a way for Woodchurch High School to raise standards through strengthening collaboration and drawing on the expertise and energy of partners to support the school’s strategic leadership. Woodchurch High School will continue to build on its high performing status and confident distinctive ethos; with a strong governing body that challenges and supports the school to improve; and work closely with others in sustainable partnerships.

What is a Trust school?

A Trust school is a local authority maintained school which is supported by a charitable Trust which appoints some of the governors.

It operates within the same frameworks as other maintained schools: it will teach the National Curriculum, follow the School Admissions Code and be inspected by Ofsted. Teaching staff will be employed under the terms of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. The local authority will fund the school on the same basis as all other local authority schools and will retain its intervention powers if there are problems at the school.

Trust schools differ because their charitable Trust establishes a long-term relationship with external partners and involves them in the school’s governance and leadership.

Partners and leadership

Many schools already benefit from the support and input of a range of external organisations – Trusts are a way to move beyond ad-hoc projects and to put in place long-term sustainable arrangements. A shared Trust for several schools is a way to build on collaboration and to develop a shared sense of direction.

The governing body of a Trust school (which retains parents / carers, staff, community and local authority governors) remains responsible for all major decisions about the school and its future. The skills and experience of Trust-appointed governors will strengthen the whole governing body and make a contribution to the school’s ethos. Strong leadership gives schools a clear sense of purpose and direction and makes sure that resources and effort are focused on increasing opportunity and raising standards.

Freedom and flexibility

Trust schools are foundation schools with foundations and, as such, benefit from the same freedoms as foundation schools. They will set their own admissions arrangements in accordance with the School Admissions Code, have control over their own land and buildings, and employ their own staff.

There is no single blueprint – schools can choose who they want to work with - and how - in order to support their particular needs and aspirations. For example, a school could use a Trust to:

• give its local community and partners a stronger voice in shaping the school’s direction and priorities,
• bring new perspectives on leadership and management,
• draw on a partner’s expertise to strengthen a particular subject area, or
• underpin the wider collaboration necessary for Every Child Matters and the new 14-19 curriculum

Schools and partners have a lot of flexibility to design the Trust that is right for them.

Safeguards

There are safeguards to prevent unsuitable organisations from forming a Trust for a school, and to ensure that a Trust can be removed if there are serious problems.

The governing body remains responsible for all aspects of the conduct of the school (including the school’s budget and staff), and so responsibilities and accountabilities remain clear.

What does Trust status offer?

The government wants all schools to be strong self-confident schools with a distinct ethos, working with parents, children, their local communities and other partners to deliver an excellent education that meets the specific needs of their pupils.

A Trust is simply a Foundation School with a Trust that forges a long sustainable relationship with external partners who support and help schools raise standards.

We know such partnerships can be successful from our work as a high performing Specialist School. We already draw on additional support and expertise from our current partners who have helped us develop our individual character and ethos.

The Vision

The vision of the school as a Trust school will remain to “Strive for Excellence” and ensure the school is fully delivering the “Every Child Matters” agenda.

The Trust will help us raise standards further by:

• Ensuring the school delivers teaching of the highest quality, helping us to motivate, stimulate and challenge the pupils, taking into account their individual learning style.
• Employing an effective staff who are constantly seeking to improve their own skills and share good practice in order to further raise pupils’ attainment.
• Supporting a curriculum that is meaningful and relevant to pupils, and which provides them with the knowledge and skills they will require in the world of work in order to achieve economic wellbeing.
• Support the school by ensuring the curriculum offers equality of opportunity to all whilst stretching the gifted and talented and supporting those with difficulties
• Actively promoting the Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development of its pupils so they are able to join the adult world as caring, responsible citizens.
• Actively promoting the physical, mental and emotional health of the child
• Continuing to develop a genuine community where pupils grow and flourish and where they feel safe, secure and valued.
• Working in partnership with parents / carers who visit the school regularly and take an active part in their child’s education
• Helping to build on and expand the excellent reputation of the school within the community and further afield and whenever possible support other partnerships with the wider community.
• Supporting the Headteacher and being a fully active Governing Body

What would be involved in the Trust?

The Governors are seeking to form sustainable partnerships with Chester Diocesan (Church of England), local Universities and Maestro Service (Setpoint).

The benefits for the school are:

Changing to Foundation Status with a Trust

What could this mean for Woodchurch High?

Governance

• The Headteacher and Governing Body will still be responsible for managing the school
• Trust partners will help the governing body to be more outward looking whilst still working with other local schools, the local community, employers and other educational institutions
• Trust status will provide opportunities to bring in new expertise to strengthen the governing body
• There will be an opportunity to appoint a minority of new governors from our Trust partners, many of whom will be parent governors and community governors. There will still be staff governors and some LA governors
• Trust status will provide access to new educational and business opportunities from our Trust partners

i.e

• Input into the curriculum
• Staff training and development
• Personnel and financial support
• Buildings and facilities support

Admissions and Appeals Process

• Set up own admission arrangements, but must act in accordance with the LA Schools Admissions code
• Set up own appeals process, acting in accordance with guidelines that are deemed to be fair
• Set selection criteria based on the school’s specialism (this option is already available to us as an engineering specialism, but has not been acted on)

Staffing – what would change?

• The Governing Body would become the employer (presently the LA)
• Teaching staff are governed by national Terms and Conditions (these would not change)
• Other staff employed at Woodchurch would continue to work under local Terms and Conditions. (A national body is presently being set up to determine pay.)
• The school would be responsible for the administration of the following functions:
  • recruitment and appointments
  • issuing of contracts
  • payroll and pensions
  • taxation and national insurance

How would Woodchurch be funded?

• The school will continue to derive its revenue and capital from LA based on the same formula as now. (All funding comes from central Government to LA and is then distributed through local formula after consultation with Governing Body.)

Ownership of Land and Buildings

• The ownership of the land and buildings might transfer to the Trust Body i.e. the Governing Body, but this is negotiable with the LA. The land is held on trust.
• In the event of the school ceasing to function, the ownership would revert back to the LA.

Purchase of Services

• The school will be able to purchase services from our new partners, but, could continue to purchase services from the LA/others
• OR, services can be brought in house.

I you would like to let us know your thoughts, please download the following questionnaire:

Trust Public Consultation