The Key for School Leaders An Essential Guide to Academy Conversion
Introduction
This resource has been developed using advice from school business management ( SBM ) practitioners who have project managed academy conversion programmes , and completed conversion between 2014 and 2016 .
The dates in the timeline ( page 10-14 ) are true-to-life representations of the period the practitioners spent on academy conversion and provide a guideline of the time it takes to complete particular steps on the road to conversion . However , every case differs and it is therefore important to focus on the following in the early stages :
• Planning
• Project management
• Building relationships with people who can provide the right expertise at the right time
Planning for conversion
Planning is critical to a successful conversion and typically takes a minimum of 12 months . This stage includes :
• Researching legal , accountancy and HR providers so you know what you are looking for when the time comes to tender these services for the conversion and , subsequently , for the academy itself
• Applying to the Department for Education ( DfE ) for an academy order ( application forms are available at www . gov . uk / government / publications / academy-conversion-application-forms )
• Finding out what funding is available – for example the DfE offers a grant to support conversion www . gov . uk / government / publications / academy-support-grant
SBM practitioners interviewed after the conversion process , with hindsight , would have taken longer and insisted on thorough planning ahead of conversion . Therefore , the more time dedicated to the planning stage , the better .
Tips
Research legal , accountancy , HR , payroll and other providers
Talk to specialist colleagues early on – consider ‘ who do I know who has been through academy conversion ?’ If you don ’ t know anyone directly , contact someone who might know someone else , or otherwise network at conferences and workshops . ( Maybe the speakers are discussing academy conversion – have they academised recently ?)
Further resources on this subject are available from NASBM , NAHT and The Key . See the back cover for website details . Tender your legal , accountancy and HR services early on
Once you have confirmation of your academy order , start tendering for legal and accountancy services . HR services might need to be tendered earlier on , i . e . at the point when you have applied to the DfE for the academy order .
You may wish to consider asking the providers you appoint to present information to staff if you have specific areas you want colleagues to know about – for example , in relation to pay , terms and conditions , or the school structure within the academy trust . This will allow questions to be addressed before they become concerns or arouse fear ; keeping staff informed about the direction of travel and providing appropriate reassurance is vital during academisation .
Parental engagement with the conversion process
Early parental engagement is crucial , to ensure parents feel involved and confident that the school remains the best place for their child to be educated . During the few months prior to applying for an academy order , the consultation process will allow the employer to consider any concerns which parents may have .
The NASBM Library area for members includes a guide on engaging parents and stakeholders effectively , which is a resource developed in partnership with PTA UK .
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