Is the Executive Headteacher an Additional Roleto Current Staffing?

DBE 5 Year Strategic School Organisation Plan

FAQs

1. The DfE suggest that there are lead schools in MATs– what are they?
   The DfE expect there will be a lead school or schools in each MAT; a lead school takes an active and intentional role in any situation where there is a school within the geographical area that is deemed by Ofsted to be inadequate.However, we would look at the need for lead school (s) within the context of the specific hub structure.

1. Is the Executive Headteacher an additional roleto current staffing?

No, however the Education Director over a group of schools within the MAT is.

1. Is it acceptable in this model for 3 or 4 schools to share a Headteacher in an Executive capacity?

Yes, and encouraged where small or very small schools are concerned.

1. What is the relationship in terms of authority between the Regional Education Director and a Headteacher?

The Headteacher or Executive Headteacher is the accountable person in relation to the effective running of the school in question. The Regional Education Director has an over-arching responsibility to ensure appropriate, effective and sustainable school improvement exists across geographical groupings.

1. Is the Director role based on educational competency – do they fill the Learning Improvement Officer role currently provided by the LA?
   Yes, it is highly probable that the postholder will have been a successful Headteacher within the primary sector.
   
2. Does the Director handle admissions and other specialisms?
   The MAT Board (whether school led or DMAT) is the admission authority. With regard to other specialisms the MAT Board will be the decision maker but it will be up to individual schools, Headteachers and local governing bodies to proactively determine what is needed.

1. Will the Executive Headteacher be over all schools?
   Geographical groupings will determine whether or not any school has an Executive Headteacher or not, with this situation fluid to reflect the needs of any school or schools at any one time. The Regional Education Director role is like that which the current Diocesan School Improvement Partner holds.
   
2. Would any schools in the existing Diocesan MAT (DMAT) be expected to move to a new MAT?
   It is possible a school would be asked to move but only if appropriate for the school and this should in no way have a detrimental impact.
   
3. Will the existing DMAT continue to exist?
   Yes – it is anticipated that the majority of academies currently within the existing DMAT would become part of the Northern Hub.

1. This seems like a like a fait accompli.
   The DBE, as with all DBEs in England, is expected to produce a strategic plan. We believe we have created a positive and proactive response that enables us to hold together our diocesan family of schools. If many of our schools and the DfE had not been positive about our approach then we would have revisited our thinking – this is not the case.

1. How is this all going to work practically?

Thegovernment has set out aproposed timescale now, although the white paper is not currently law.We anticipate that many of our schools will join the DMAT, working within the hub model. Where a few schools in a particular area wish to pursue academy status and join forces toinstigate a distinct MAT then we will discuss how this can work in their particular context.

1. Does the model rely on the DfE making a decision on any DBE bids for new schools?
   This model has been produced for the diocesan family and has been shared with the Regional Schools Commissioner. Based on this model, and noting in particular the robust governance structures, the RSC has given permission for the DMAT to grow.
   
2. How quickly will everything move now?

The Education White Paper outlined the central government agenda with regards to academies; for those schools that are currently rated good or outstanding the timescale has been slightly relaxed until 2022. Whilst there is no rush, it is our strong recommendation that governing bodies within all our schools start looking at what this means for their school sooner rather than later.

1. What are our next steps?

The letter to all schools from Bishop Christopher and Linda Wainscot states that the DMAT is the preferred route for academisation but the DBE recognises some schools may seek to form other smaller school led MATs across the diocese. For Coventry Diocese, these must be Church majority MATs.Governing bodies should research both options and discuss with the DBE, at the earliest opportunity, how this might work for them.

For small schools with 150 pupils or less, governors may find it helpful to use the recently published ‘Small schools planning tool’ (a practical tool for small schools and dioceses to explore the financial viability of establishing formal collaborations and Multi Academy Trusts). This toolkit builds on the ‘ Church of England Education Office Working Together – The Future of Rural Church of England Schools’ document and is designed as a planning tool for schools to give an estimate of likely funding and expenditure budgets of a proposed collaboration. The spreadsheet currently holds data for eight schools which can be populated with individual school’s data. This then generates the estimated funding statements and expenditure budgets for each of the schools. The “Small Schools Planning Tool” has been designed using amounts which are driven by pupil numbers and averages based on actual costs / expenditure. Minimal data input is required to obtain estimated funding and an expenditure budget.

Link via the DBE website:

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