Sponsors, Local Authorities (LAs) and other potential partners who are interested in the Academies programme should, in the first instance, contact The Office of the Schools Commissioner (OSC) at the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) for informal discussions.
For most Academies it takes between six and eighteen months from Ministers agreeing an Expression of Interest to opening. An overview of the key phases of establishing an academy in existing school buildings, whilst waiting for the academy’s new or refurbished buildings is described below.
The OSC will support the development of partnerships between Sponsors and LAs to enable them and the DCSF to assess their secondary education and decide if a new Academy is the right solution for their needs.
Once partnerships have been established, a Statement of Intent letter is issued by the Office of the Schools Commissioner to the LA. This confirms to the LA the sponsor's intention to work with them in taking forward the Academy Project.
Once the Statement of Intent has been issued, the Sponsor and LA will work together to prepare a formal Expression of Interest (EoI) for Ministerial consideration at the DCSF. The EoI will clearly demonstrate the need for a new Academy in the area proposed and provide more details about the proposed Academy e.g. age range and pupil numbers. The DCSF provides detailed guidance on the form that the Expression of Interest should take. Once an EOI has received Ministerial approval the project will move to the feasibility stage.
The length of the feasibility phase is normally determined by the statutory process of consulting to close the predecessor school. This usually takes around 5 to 6 months. The purpose of the feasibility phase is to consult widely with key stakeholders to ensure the proposed academy meets their requirements of raising education standards and driving up wider community aspirations.
During this phase, the proposals in the EOI are developed further. In particular the sponsors vision and ethos for the Academy are developed into an education brief which will form the foundation of the Academy's curriculum.
A series of documents will need to be prepared to support the Academy proposal. These will allow the Secretary of State to judge whether to enter into a legally binding Funding Agreement to establish an Academy
A project management company is appointed to co-ordinate and manage the wide range of tasks that will need to be completed ahead of Funding Agreement. A number of specialists and experts will be drawn upon to complete technical aspects such as legal work and public relations. The project management company is responsible for overseeing the work of these specialists and ensuring that work is completed on time and within the budget which DCSF has agreed.
Once the Funding Agreement has been signed, the Implementation phase commences and the remaining time ahead of the Academy opening will be spent preparing for a new school to open. This will include finalising management and staff appointments, agreeing the curriculum, undertaking academy marketing and collaboration activities, and supporting school development plans. Where the Principal Designate is appointed prior to opening, the Principal will be closely involved in much of this work with support from the project management company.
At the end of the phase, the Department completes final sign off on the educational plans and approves the academy for opening as an institution. Academies that open initially in the predecessor school buildings may be entitled to a small additional capital grant to cover costs such as renewed signage and other small capital projects required to open the school as an academy.
The Academy buildings will usually be delivered through the Building Schools for the Future programme, or, occasionally, via a National Framework set up by Partnerships for Schools. The LA will manage the delivery of the academy buildings and the sponsor will steer the design process. The LA will establish a Design Group which the sponsor will steer, to ensure the buildings meet the needs of the academy vision and curriculum.
The opening of the academy is a major milestone. However there is still much work to be done to ensure it is successful. During the initial stages of this phase a School Improvement Partner will be appointed to provide ongoing challenge and support to the academy and its leadership team in its efforts to realise the academy's vision and deliver sustainable improvements in educational standards.
The website includes models of the key documents such as Expression of Interest and Funding Agreement, along with a range of policy documents needed to support the running of an Academy.
