Academisation: no longer optional

The Chancellor has announcedin today's Budget that every primary and secondary school inEngland must be, or be in the process of becoming, an academy by2020 and that legislation to this effect will be broughtforward. This presents schools of all types - those who arealready established academies as well as those who are not - withsome challenges, but also interesting opportunities.

The writing has been on thewall for some time now, but staying with the local authority isrealistically no longer going to be an option even if both theschool and local authority want it. A great many schools havethrived under local authority "ownership" and many, especially inthe primary school sector, do not want things to change, butthe Government has mandated otherwise.

In reality, some schools whichmight be perceived to have been local authority controlled have notin practical terms been run by the local authority - it has beenthe Head Teacher and the rest of his or her team, with the supportof parents and others in the community. Those schools aregoing to be best positioned to make the most of the opportunitieswhich academisation could bring, including bringing together groupsof schools to form their own locally grown solutions in the form oflocal multi-academy trusts ("MATs"). Others might use theopportunity to join with existing MATs or with providers operatingin other parts of the education sector.

What is clear is that there isnot a one size fits all solution. Education providers arealways at their best when they are free to create their ownsolutions, for their students and the communities theyserve.

Rollits will shortly beannouncing dates for a series of schools workshops. These will beoffered free of charge on a first come first served basis at ouroffices in Hull and in York with guest speakers or, for those whoprefer, we are happy to run the sessions in-school. The aim is tohelp school Governors and senior management teams navigate what hasbecome a much more varied landscape in recent years, and tounderstand the full range of options which may be available orwhich could be created through innovative thinking.

Rollits' Education Team, theonly such team rated by independent legal directory Legal 500 basedin Yorkshire outside of Leeds, is steeped in the educationsector. We have worked for decades with a wide range ofeducation providers including all types of schools, single andmulti-academy trusts, nurseries, colleges and universities. The Team's work is recognised nationally as "accomplished andactive" by Chambers and Partners and every one of its members has adedication and passion for the incredible work our educationclients carry out in taking our communities forwards.

If you would like to secure aninvite to a session or have any questions in the meantime pleaseemail moc.s1732390675tillo1732390675r@sei1732390675medac1732390675a1732390675 or contact the Head of theEducation Team Tom Morrison by calling 01482 337310 or emailing moc.s1732390675tillo1732390675r@nos1732390675irrom1732390675.mot1732390675

This article is for general guidance only. It provides useful information in a concise form. Action should not be taken without obtaining specific legal advice.