Issue - meetings
MAYOR'S INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE DECISION - Academy Conversion, St. Paul's Way Trust School
Meeting: 01/09/2016 - Overview & Scrutiny Committee (Item 5)
MAYOR'S INDIVIDUAL EXECUTIVE DECISION - Academy Conversion, St. Paul's Way Trust School
The Council’s Constitution provides for the Mayor to take Executive decisions either at meetings of Cabinet or outside of the meetings as Individual Mayoral Decisions. These individual decisions are published on the Council’s website but to aid transparency, the Committee at the request of the Chair will receive a verbal update on the Executive Decision in relation to Academy Conversion, St. Paul's Way Trust School.
Minutes:
Debbie Jones, Corporate Director Children’s Services provided a verbal briefing on the recent Mayoral approval for assignment of the commercial transfer related to the academy conversion of St. Paul’s Way Trust School.
Set out below is a summary of the points made in the discussion:
The Committee:
· Noted that the St Paul’s Way School Trust School received an academy order on 26th May, 2016 and has indicated its wish to convert to academy status on 1st September, 2016. It was noted that there is no alternative to the planned course of action. As once the application from a Governing Body has been approved by the Secretary of State the expectation is that the local authority will work with the school in all transfer matters. In addition, the Council is required by the Academies Act to proceed with academy conversions;
· Was advised that conversion usually occurs by two main transactions for the Council, these being the land and commercial transfer. However, as a trust school, St Paul’s already holds the land and property on a long lease and as a result there is no disposal of land and no decisions required in relation to land or lease for this conversion. In addition, the trust is also an employer of staff and as a result this conversion does not require the transfer of any staff from the Council. As the employer of staff the school has undertaken its own consultation with the support of the Council’s HR team;
· Was concerned at the speed of the conversion and wished to seek clarification as to why it was so urgent to convert to an academy;
· Noted that this matter had been included on tonight’s agenda at the request of the Chair so as to allow there to be a discussion on this conversion (e.g. to get an appreciation of the DfE policy with regards to academy conversions)
· Noted that Government Policy places the choice to convert in the hands of the school and itself;
· Was informed that in comparison to other councils the pace of change in Tower Hamlets is slower;
· Noted that St. Paul’s has indicated its intention to remain as part of the Schools Partnership;
· Was told that there is an active and ongoing dialogue with the Trade Unions around the future academy conversions in Tower Hamlets;
· Noted that that this matter had been placed on tonight’s agenda as it was the first meeting the since the decision had been taken. In addition, there would be opportunity to consider this issue in greater depth at future meetings; and
· Stressed it was important that any school seeking conversion to an academy is actively encouraged to remain as one of the Boroughs families of schools.