South Swindon MP Anne Snelgrove has welcomed the announcement from Labour’s Schools Minister Andrew Adonis that Greendown has been accepted onto the Trust School programme.

 Anne said: 

“Trust status will enable Greendown to continue improving. The closer cooperation between schools and colleges Trust status encourages will mean more young people going on to further and higher education. I look forward to seeing record results every year.” 

“I worked on the Education Bill which shaped the Trust School programme and I am really pleased Swindon will be one of the first towns to benefit.”  

Labour’s Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: 

"Congratulations to all the teachers and pupils at Greendown School on their successful application for Trust status. Trust schools use the energy and experience of external partners to raise standards and are a vital part of Labour’s drive to ensure all schools across Swindon are good and improving schools. 

“While the Tories would cut £4.5 billion from Labour's programme to rebuild or refurbish thousands of schools, it’s thanks to Labour's record investment in education across Swindon, together with the hard work of pupils, parents and school staff, that we’ve seen results rising year on year.”  

·                    Schools from across the country will create long term partnerships with universities, businesses, charities - harnessing the energy and experience of external partners to raise standards.   

·                    There are now 42 Trust Schools up and running, and this latest round of applications brings the number of schools currently working towards trust status to over 390, exceeding the Government’s aspirations and proving the popularity of the scheme with schools and local authorities. The Department for Children, Schools and Families will hold a further round of applications to join the Trust programme in June. 

·                    Following the Budget the Government announced its ambition that all schools should have at least 30 percent of students achieving five good GCSEs (A* to C grade), including English and maths by 2011. We made clear that Trust Schools would be instrumental in meeting that challenge. Trust applications focusing on school improvement will therefore be given highest priority in the June round.  

·                    Partners from all sectors have confirmed their involvement in the Trust programme. These include: The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Barnardo’s, Microsoft, the Co-operative Group, and Unilever. 

Information for Editors 

Trust Schools 

·         Trust schools are maintained foundation schools supported by a charitable Trust.

They:

             o        are part of the maintained family of schools with funding on the same basis as other   local authority maintained schools and subject to the same accountability regime;

             o        are similar to Voluntary Aided (VA) and existing foundation schools with foundations – the Trust holds the school’s land and buildings, the Governing Body employs staff and sets admissions arrangements (in accordance with the law and the Admissions Code);

             o        must adhere to National Curriculum / School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions document; and

              o        must establish Parent Councils if the Trust appoints the majority of the governing body. 

·         Trust schools will not receive extra state funding – nor will the Trust be expected to contribute financially to the school. 

·         Trust schools will not be able to introduce new selection criteria – like all other schools, they will have to act in accordance with the Admissions Code. 

·         No school will be forced to have a Trust. But acquiring a Trust will be one option for local authorities to consider when a school is failing. 

·         Becoming a Trust schools does not mean “opting out” of local authority control.  Trust schools will need to consult their local authority before they acquire a Trust.  The local authority can refer the proposals to the Schools Adjudicator for decision if it has concerns about the school’s consultation process or the impact of the proposals on standards. 

·         Trust schools will not be ‘owned’ by businesses – business foundations and other partners can support the school through a Trust and take a role on the governing body. 

·         Trust schools will still have to abide by the normal parameters of the National Curriculum and will be inspected by Ofsted like all other schools. 

·         Parents will have to be consulted where a school proposes to acquire a Trust, and at least one third of Trust schools’ governing bodies will be made up of parents. 

·         Trust schools are not about privatisation but harnessing the expertise, enthusiasm and energy of external partners such as universities, businesses and charities to raise standards and broaden opportunities for pupils.  Governing bodies will continue to include elected parent and staff governors, as well as local authority and community governors.  Trust schools are part of the local authority family of schools, funded on exactly the same basis as other local authority maintained schools. The governing body (and not the Trust) remains the strategic leader of the school, accountable for all aspects of its operation, including performance. The headteacher remains in charge of the day-to-day running of the school.  Trust schools will not be ‘owned’ by businesses – business foundations and other partners can support the school through a Trust and take a role on the governing body, but not take it over.  

Q&A 

What is the difference between an Academy and a Trust School?

Academies are independent state schools established by sponsors from the educational, business, faith and voluntary sectors working with partners from the local community. Sponsors, as the norm, establish an endowment fund worth £2m. Academy Trusts use the revenue generated from the endowment to counteract the impact of deprivation on the communities they serve. In sponsoring an Academy, universities and high performing schools and colleges are exempt from having to pledge a financial contribution. The Academy building programme forms an integral part of Building Schools for the Future (BSF). 

Acquiring a Trust is a way for a range of schools in different circumstances to raise standards, from those that are currently under-performing to those that are leading the way in the education sector as a whole. Trusts are a way for schools to strengthen collaboration and spread best practice amongst other schools, drawing on the expertise and energy of their partners to support their strategic leadership.  There are no specific criteria for which schools can become Trust schools: the decision is one for the governing body to make.  In the case of Trust schools, the Trust is not expected to make any financial contribution to the school. 

What is the difference between a Trust school and a foundation school?

A Trust school is legally a foundation school supported by a charitable foundation that appoints some of its governors.  

A small number of foundation schools with a foundation already exist under education legislation but at present the foundation cannot appoint the majority of the governing body. The Education and Inspections Act puts in place safeguards around forming and acquiring Trusts, and enables schools to choose to allow their Trust to appoint a majority of the governors if they wish. 

Will the governing body and headteacher have less control in Trust Schools?

There will be no reduction in the role and responsibilities of the governing body of Trust schools.  Headteachers will retain their responsibility for the day to day running of their schools. 

What difference will being a Trust school make to the school’s funding?

A Trust school will continue to receive its funding from the local authority on the same basis as other local schools – and funding will be delegated to the governing body, not the Trust.  There will be no additional funding from the local authority for a Trust school, and there is no expectation that the Trust will provide the school with additional funding (although of course they will be free to do so if they choose). 

Are Trust schools faith schools by the back door?

No.  No school can acquire or lose a religious character by becoming a Trust school. 

Does Trust status give more power over admissions? 

Trust schools are subject to the same rules as foundation schools. This means that they set their own admissions arrangements, but they will have to act in accordance with the School Admissions Code and will not be allowed to introduce selection by ability. Trust schools will play their full part in taking hard to place pupils, having fair admissions and working with other schools.