Meeting documents

To provide an update on the policy and the current position in Somerset. The item will be led by the Council’s Assistant Director Education Partnerships and Skills Amelia Walker (presentation – to follow)

Note – the Chair will allow 30 minutes for this agenda item

The Committee received a PowerPoint presentation from the Council’s Assistant Director, Education Partnerships and Skills, Amelia Walker which provided an update on academisation in Somerset, following the publication of the Government Schools White Paper ‘Opportunity for All’ in March 2022. This set out the intention to: -

·         See all schools in ‘strong trusts’ by 2030

·         Achieve greater clarity about the respective roles for the Department for Education, Local Authorities, Ofsted, Multi-academy trusts and the Schools Adjudicator

·         Create ‘Education Investment Areas’ where standards are lower (following the end of Opportunity Areas)

·         Replace Regional Schools Commissioner offices with Regional Teams

·         Raise standards in existing trusts

Ms Walker highlighted the implications and work being undertaken in Somerset – this includes discussions with schools about the traded offer (‘the Patchwork’). A group of secondary schools has put together a partnership with feeder primary schools to collaborate on school improvement (‘Somerset Partnership’) - neither is a replacement for academisation. The traded offer is a new traded offer and it is intended to mirror how trusts support schools more closely, but an LA cannot be a trust. The Partnership is similar to existing groups in the county known as ‘Community Learning Partnerships’.

The Committee had a broad discussion, including – the ‘priority education investment area’ and what it may mean for West Somerset; local authority multi academy trusts; deficit in the local authority school estate; the ‘democratic deficit’ and performance of schools in the reformed system.

It was agreed that a progress update be given to the Committee in 6 months.