Your Conversion Journey

Your Conversion Journey Information for Governors, Headteachers and Senior Leaders of schools wishing to join Cidari Education Multi Academy Trust.

Academies & Multi Academy Trusts - Wha What is an Academy?

Academies are publicly funded independent schools who are not flexibili es. As a charitable company limited by guarantee. The Acad has control over the land and other assets. Any charitable body has two gr Directors and Members. Rather than being directly funded and accountabl the Secretary of State. All schools are now expected to have formally start

What is a Mul Academy Trust?

A Mul Academy Trust (MAT) is a group of schools w

What are the benefits of becoming an Academy Conver ng to Academy status means you will benefit from more freedom and flexibili es than state schools, including:  Freedom from local authority controls.  Greater control over budgets.  The ability to set teachers’ pay and contracts.  Greater flexibility in the curriculum, term mes and length of school day.

There are two routes to becoming an Academy

A

This route is for schools who are either ‘Good’ or ‘Outstanding’ wishing to take advantage of Academisa on.

In joining Cidari, converter schools will enjoy the benefits of becoming an Academy, whilst be‐ ing able to tap into the skills, services, professional development and value for money benefits of being part of an organisa on commi ed to School Improvement underpinned by Chris an values.

B

This route is for schools who have been served an Academy Order by the Secretary of State i.e. schools judged to be ‘Inadequate’.

In addi on to the benefits of Cidari above, you will be supported in all areas to ensure measurable development and School Improvement within a collabora ve culture of challenge and a commitment to delivering a high quality of teaching and learning to the young people in your care.

Whilst the school can opt to convert if taking ‘Route A’ and the Secretary of State will make the final decision, it is the Cidari Board of Directors who will decide as to whether a converted school joins the Trust.

t you Need to know

art of the Local Authority and have greater freedoms and my Trust is responsible for the running of the Academy and ps involved in the corporate governance of the organisa on: o the Local Authority, they are funded and accountable to the process of Academy conversion by 2020.

rking together under a shared academy structure.

Our Mission "To provide high quality educa on for all children based on clearly established Chris an values and principles."

Established in November 2013 Cidari Educa on is a growing educa on sponsor and part of the Blackburn Diocese.

Open to both converter and sponsored academies, we already have a mix of Voluntary Aided and Voluntary Controlled primary and secondary schools. We are also open to community schools. Through this document we hope that you will get a flavour of our organisa on, our mission, our objec ves and our members.

We work closely and collabora vely with our schools and other partners to ensure that we offer a strong caring ethos and a clear moral purpose. We encourage all our schools to see themselves as part of a family with a shared vision, iden ty and purpose whilst maintaining their individuality.

We are commi ed to achieving excellence in educa on and see it as the right of every child to achieve their full poten al and to flourish academically, socially and spiritually within a Chris an environment.

Head of Opera ons

Head of Learning

Head of Finance

Opera onal, Financial and Administra ve Staff

Central Team

Getting Ready Stage 1 ‐ Register an Interest Schools register their interest using the on‐line form available from the DfE website.

A er receiving the form a named contact from the DfE will contact the Cidari Project Lead. The Project Lead will then contact the school and support them through the conversion process.

The school Local Governing Body starts the consulta on with internal partners.

The Local Governing Body have a crucial role to p

Under the Academies Act 2010, your Local Gove a consulta on on the conversion process with st of State needs to ensure that such consulta on before the Funding Agreement is signed, so it is records of all consulta ons and responses and h wherever possible. Cidari can assist you with thi

When consul ng you might like to consider the the school become an academy? It will be for th the school to determine who should be consulte consider involving local bodies or groups who ha

The purpose of this stage is for the Local Governing Body of the school to make a firm commitment to the school becoming an Academy by submi ng an applica on to convert. Cidari will work with the school on all areas of conversion.

The applica on should be submi ed to the Secretary of State who will decide whether to approve it and make an Academy Order. The form to be completed can be downloaded from www.educa on.gov.uk/academies.

It is important that the Local Governing Body understand all aspects of the make‐ up and role of Cidari before comple ng the memorandum and ar cles of associa on. The Governors manage the Academy on behalf of Cidari. Their key responsibili es are to:  Ensure the quality of educa onal provision.  Challenge and monitor the performance of the academy.  Manage the Academy Trust’s finances and property.  Employ staff.  Comply with (and ensure that the trust complies with) charity and company law.  Manage and comply with the obliga ons in the Funding Agreement.  Respect and maintain the academy's exis ng values, vision and ethos.

Members of the Cidari Central Team would be happy to a end any consulta on mee ngs arranged by the Local Governing Body if required.

Stage 2 ‐ Applica

The Local Governing Bod favour of academy conve from Cidari would a

The school submits a form form to

Cidari start the Transfer of of Employment (TUPE) p Authority and Human R

The Secretary of State appr issues the Aca

Transfer of Undertakings and Protec on of Employment (TUPE) When a school becomes an Academy all staff become Cidari employees.

Under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protec on of Employment) Regula ons (TUPE), staff and their representa ves have to be provided with informa on by their current employer about the transfer. Formal TUPE consulta ons cannot start un l the Local Governing Body has formally app academy status, but you could hold informal discussions with staff and unions as soon as the conversion is proposed. C Authority and HR consultants to ensure the process is as smooth and possible. Cidari representa ves will also be availa Con nuous service for employees is protected and Cidari is a member of the Local Government (LGPS) and Teacher Pens

What happen

Post informa on on the school’s website about the applica on with a link to the DfE and Cidari website

Write a le er to all parents/carers explaining the proposals.

y in the Conversion Process.

ing Body must carry out eholders. The Secretary s been carried out portant to keep e mee ngs minuted

Organise mee ngs with parents/carers and sieze opportuni es to discuss the proposal and address concerns

Circulate a newsle er for parents/carers explaining the latest posi on on the proposal.

Ways you can consult

owing ques ons: Should Local Governing Body of although schools should strong links with the school.

Distribute answers to some frequently asked ques ons (FAQs).

on to Convert

pass a resolu on in on. A representa ve nd this mee ng.

Respond to requests (in wri ng) to view the proposals.

applica on to convert fE.

ndertakings Protec on ocess with the Local ource consultants.

Facilitate discussions with students about what becoming an academy means.

es school proposal and my Order.

s to our staff?

ved the proposal to convert to ari will work with the Local e for all TUPE mee ngs. n Schemes.

Complete student ques onnaires.

Arrange drop‐ins and face‐to‐face mee ngs.

The Journey Stage 3 ‐ Due Diligence

As part of the conversion process 5 core areas of Due the individual areas of Due Diligence. Cidari Educa on work clo possible. Due Diligence provides a snapshot of the school at a p from the conver ng school enable us to ensure this picture is a bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in these areas wil

Financial

The purpose of financial due diligence Financial is to evaluate a school’s financial posi on taking account of costs, benefits and risks to allow an informed decision to be reached as to whether the school can successfully convert and become part of Cidari Educa on. It is supported using budgetary informa on such as staffing structures, pupil number trends and income and expenditure.

The process involves an ini al informa on gathering session held at the school, including mee ngs with key people such as the Headteacher and School Business Manager.

Following this visit, a further mee ng to produce a forecasted Academy budget is held.

Once all of the informa on has been gathered, a report is produced and provided to Cidari for submission to the Board of Directors.

Leadership and Governance

Teachin Learn

The purpose of Teaching and Learning to iden fy exis ng strengths and iden School Improvement requirements. Th allows an informed decision to be reached as to whether the successfully convert as part of Cidari Educa on.

Teaching and Learning

The process includes:  A school visit by the Leader of Learning, Standards & Ac  Desk‐top analysis of historic performance data and curr

predic ons for end of Key Stage outcomes

 A review of the current teaching profile and the School S

 Risk ra ng of the most recent Ofsted / HMI inspec on o

improvement recommenda ons  Once all the informa on has been gathered, a report is

provided to Cidari for submission to the Board of Direct

The purpose of Leadership and Governance due diligence is to iden fy exis ng strengths a iden fy future School Improvement requirements. The process allows an informed decisio reached as to whether the school can successfully convert as part of Cidari Educa on.

The process includes:  A school visit by the Leader of Learning, Standards & Achievement & Head of Governance

 A review of the current School Self‐Evalua on and relevant Development or Ac on Plan together with the Gov

Body Ac on Plan  Risk ra ng of the most recent Ofsted / HMI inspec on outcome and improvement recommenda ons

 Once all the informa on has been gathered, a report is produced and provided to Cidari for submission to the

Directors.

iligence will be completed. Below is a more detailed overview of ly with specific partners to ensure that the process is as smooth as cular moment in me and the involvement of key individuals accurate, full and contextual as possible. Our central team who upport you throughout this stage.

and g

Leadership and Governance

Health and Safety

Buildings

ICT Legal

Opera onal

HR and Payroll

ue Diligence is y future process hool can

vement

t in‐year

A key part of the conversion process involves the prepara on and agreement of a number of legal documents (as detailed below), as well as ensuing some key legal processes are undertaken appropriately. The Cidari Project Lead has a good working rela onship with the appointed legal advisers to ensure the process runs smoothly at all points of the conversion.

Legal

The documents listed below will be completed with yourselves, the legal team and Cidari and submi ed to the DfE  A fully completed Land Ques onnaire, including site plan for the academy.  Cidari submit a copy of their dra Memorandum and Ar cles of Associa on.

f‐Evalua on

 The dra Funding Agreement(s) and annexes

come and

 Final dra of any leases/sub‐leases which Cidari Educa on plans to issue.  Confirma on that the Commercial Transfer Agreement has been agreed along with

oduced and .

responses to key ques ons from your DfE project lead.  The main terms of any leases have been agreed (125 year lease from the Local

Authority to Cidari Educa on).

The Cidari Project Lead will send the new academy’s bank details to EFA using the form provided. This is essen al so that the EFA can set up the mechanism to fund the academy once it has converted.

o be

The DfE produce a meline for each month a school is expected to convert. You can access these using the following link. h ps://www.gov.uk/government/publica ons/ melines‐for‐schools‐to‐ convert‐to‐academies

ning

ard of

A full list of documenta on required to support the Due Diligence exercise can be found on our website www.cidarieduca on.co.uk

The Journey Stage 3 ‐ Opera onal Due Diligence

The opera onal due diligence will look Payroll Systems. Through visits to the school, mee ngs with ke The Cidari Board recognises profile of the opera on status of the school and poten al risks Health and Safety and accepts that it is responsible for providing a safe and healthy environment for the staff employed across the network, for the pupils a ending the academy and for other persons on network premises. A Due Diligence review will ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to fulfil these responsibili es within the framework of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety Regula ons 1999 and those other Regula ons made under the Act. The school will be reviewed in respect of:  The strategic oversight of its Health and Safety Organisa on and Arrangements.  The recogni on that it has a corporate responsibility towards its staff, pupils and others coming on to the

premises.  The responsibility for providing a safe and healthy environment for the staff employed in the school, for

the students a ending it and for other persons on the premises.  The implica ons of the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007 and the Health and Safety

(Offences) Act 2008 and confirma on that its Health and Safety Management systems are duly in place and adequately rigorous.  Con nuous monitoring of systems with due diligence in respect of the health, safety and welfare of staff,

pupils and anyone else who may be affected by them. The school budget providing adequate resources to cover the cost not only of the planned maintenance of the grounds, buildings, plant and equipment in a safe condi on but also, so far as reasonably prac cable, of any emergency ac on necessary to ensure the health and safety of the occupants of the premises.

In addi on, due diligence will establish that the Principal / Headteacher takes reasonable steps to bring to the a en on of each and every member of staff that:  Under the Act, they have a personal responsibility for their own safety as well as for the safety of anyone

who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work  They must co‐operate with their employers in fulfilling their du es under the Act and suppor ng legisla on

as well as under the school’s Health and Safety Policy and  They each read (and sign that they have done so) the school's Health and Safety Policy, including the

statements about the Organisa on and Arrangements through which the school leadership and staff aim to fulfil the relevant requirements.

This due diligence will (in conjunc on with the TUPE process) iden fy current processes for HR and payroll including both advisory and transac onal elements. This work will inform the migra on requirements to move the school to the Cidari Payroll and HR Providers, outlining any poten al risks, gaps in service and pu ng in place strategies to ensure service delivery con nues both up to, during and a er conversion.

HR and Payroll

For more detailed informa on and conversion case studies visit our website www.cidarieduca on.co.uk

all aspects of the school opera on including Health & Safety, Buildings, ICT, HR & taff and the submission of key documents, this area of Due Diligence will build a clear areas to consider both through the conversion journey and beyond.

Buildings & Premises

Advance Informa on Pre Visit Ques onnaire (PVQ) sent to school at least 4 weeks prior to the visit. This will form the basis of the Due Diligence.

School completes PVQ and forwards requested informa on to Cidari Educa on within 2 weeks. Informa on required includes Key contact details, Site Plans, Latest Condi on Survey, Property Maintenance SLA agreement, H&S Policy, Buildings Development Plan if available).

Site Visit Meet relevant people ‐ Headteacher, School Business Manager, Site Supervisor, Buildings Liaison Officer/ Current property/ estates management contrac ons. Agenda for discussions sent in advance following comple on of the PVQ. Review PVQ .

 Site Walk including internal, external areas, perimeter and boiler houses/ plant areas.  Review of corporate H&S arrangements & Risk Assessments.  Review of statutory tes ng and compliance including Fire, Emergency Ligh ng, Legionella, Asbestos, Fixed &

Portable Appliance, Gas Tightness, General Servicing. (This may be picked up in advance by the PVQ and evidence provided in advance by the current local authority Buildings Liaison)  Discussion of condi on survey and any building development plan.  Discussion of planned/ required capital/ building improvement works (including Health and Safety

requirements.

Advance Informa on ICT

Pre Visit Ques onnaire PVQ (Online form) sent to school at least 4 weeks prior to visit.

This will form the basis of the Due Diligence.

School completes pre visit ques onnaire and forwards requested informa on within 2 weeks (Key contact details for ICT contacts, ICT asset register if present, ICT Audit/ Development plan if present).

An audit of the school website is carried out prior to the visit.

Site Visit Meet relevant people ‐ Headteacher, School Business Manager, Curriculum ICT lead, ICT technician (internal or third party). Agenda for discussions sent in advance following comple on of the PVQ. Review PVQ .  Site Walk of building including all switch rooms and technician spaces.  Review of network infrastructure also including internal and external connec vity

(intranet & internet).  Review of hardware & So ware including user devices,, opera ng systems,

curriculum and administra ve so ware, projectors etc.  Review of ICT related safeguarding & security.  Discussion of ICT condi on and any recent ICT

Audit/ Development plan.  Discussion of planned/ required capital works.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to convert?

Most schools are able to convert in around five months. It can take longer if there are more complicated ma ers.

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Will the school logo or uniform change?

The school name will change to incorporate its Academy Status based on current naming conven ons within the Trust. There is no requirement to change the school logo or uniform other than to incorporate this change, however an Academy may choose to take conversion as an opportunity to refresh the brand and include this in the consulta on.

The school signage, sta onery and websites post conversion would be required to incorporate this change and also to include the Cidari logo.

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What will happen to my pay and condi ons if my school becomes an academy?

Your pay and condi ons would remain the same because of the protec ons of TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protec on of Employment) Regula ons 2006).

Will the school maintain its current ethos and Values?

Absolutely, the Trust is commi ed to working with Academies whose own vision, values and ethos mirror those of the Cidari family of schools.

What Next?

There are two fundamental ques ons to ask at this stage.

Firstly ‘are we going to become an academy?’, and secondly ‘do the values, vision and mission of Cidari Mul Academy Trust and its family of Academies reflect our own ambi ons and aspira ons?’. If the answer to both of these is yes then we would be excited to hear from you and invite you to contact us to register a formal interest.

You can register a formal interest either on our website or by contac ng us directly on email or telephone. This stage puts neither you or the Trust under any mutual obliga on but will allow you the opportunity to meet us further and discuss our organisa on and the wide range of benefits to being a part of the Cidari family.

More FAQ’s are available on our website

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How will everyone be consulted with and informed throughout the process?

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The Trust has a duty to consult with all groups involved in the conversion of the proposed academy including staff, learners parents and the wider school community. A full consulta on plan will be developed with you to provide full details of ac vi es taking place, documents and informa on available and where these can be found. There will always be the opportunity to ask ques ons and raise concerns along the way. The Trust is aware that many people involved in this process have no previous experience of the academy process, and our aim is to work closely with you to ensure everyone feels involved and listened to.

Will the Trust make a profit?

Sponsors are not legally allowed to make any profit from Academies and this is specifically wri en into the funding agreement. The Trust is focused on direc ng as much money as possible to benefit learners and support improvement of teaching and learning.

Contact Us Cidari Mul Academy Trust Clayton House Walker Park Blackburn BB1 2QE Telephone 01254 958888 Email enquiries@cidari.co.uk www.cidarieduca on.co.uk

Cidari Educa on Ltd Registered in England & Wales No. 08822760

Cidari Mul Academy Trust Clayton House Walker Park Blackburn Lancashire BB1 2QE Telephone: 01254 958888 Email: enquiries@cidari.co.uk Web: www.cidarieduca on.co.uk