We are in one of the most exciting and innovative times for the development of educational thinking and practice.
Academies sit right at the centre of the practical response to schools that cannot, for whatever reason, improve standards above the government benchmarks.
As a nation we cannot sit by and allow significant numbers of young people, who often live in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country, leave school without the life chances good academic and vocational results would allow. Despite working in these difficult circumstances academies are in the vanguard of educational reform, delivering not only high quality secondary education, but, increasingly, all-through 3-19 education as well.
Many of us who lead academies, or groups of academies, have had written guidance from the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) and Partnerships for Schools (PfS), the invaluable support of DCSF and PfS officers, support from our own networks and our own experience to guide our policy and practice. However, little commercially published material has existed to guide those, from both the private and public sectors, in what is involved in establishing and operating an academy.
TPP Law, whose trademark quality for innovation in partnership projects has made them legal adviser of choice on a wide range of education developments, has now produced one of the first practical books “A Guide to Academies” to provide further help and support for those involved in the setting up of academies.
This is high quality and vital reading for academy sponsors, local authorities, project managers, school leaders, school staff and anyone with an interest in the academies programme.
The Guide details how academies fit into both the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme and the PfS National Framework, explaining the differences between the two approaches to delivery. It details the processes involved in setting up an academy and the constitutional and governance arrangements for academy trusts.
The Guide also covers the issues involved with setting up the academy trust, explaining the relevant documents for set-up and the procurement of new buildings. Governance is explored, including the implications of an academy’s charitable status.
Information on each of the main contractual documents is featured, including:
- The Funding Agreement
- The Deed of Gift
- The Development Agreement
- The Design and Build (D&B) Contract
- Property Leases
- The Staff Transfer Agreement
Having worked with TPP Law in the setting up of the Nottingham Academy, and having got to know their team well, I can recommend this text as additional support for the invaluable work those of us in the academies movement undertake.
