Formal Consultation Information
The governors of Plashet School have taken the decision to initiate the due diligence and consultation process regarding the acquisition of academy status and Plashet joining the City of London Academy Trust.
We are informing you of the formal consultation, which opens today, Monday 17th March and closes on Friday 25th April 2025 at midnight.
The consultation does not mean a final decision to convert to an Academy has been taken but that we wish to seek the views of our community to inform the final decision.
To support you in developing your knowledge and understanding of what is involved in becoming an academy we have prepared this information document.
Please read the information and complete the online questionnaire using this link:
https://forms.gle/aFdanZsDad7nSJs46
Please note that our website has a translation function in the top right corner to support those of you who are multilingual. If you are unable to access this please contact the school. If you would like a hard copy of the information leaflet please contact the school via our email address: info@plashet.newham.sch.uk
Section 1: Academy information & process
What is under consultation?
This consultation information document is published by the Governing Board of Plashet School to support the consultation on whether Plashet should voluntarily convert to become an academy and join the City of London Academy Trust.The formal consultation is being undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Academies Act.
Why is there a consultation?
The Academies Act 2010 requires the school to consult “such persons as they think appropriate” on whether the school should become an academy. Plashet Governing Board is consulting with all key stakeholders about the proposed academy conversion including parents, staff, students, the local community, other schools, unions and organisations involved with the school. The consultation will take place over the period commencing on Monday 17th March and ending at midnight on Friday 25th April 2025.
What is an Academy?
An academy school is an independent state school that is not managed by a local authority. Instead, it is operated with the Headteacher by a school trust which is funded directly by, and is accountable to the Department for Education (DfE). A charitable company limited by guarantee (the Academy Trust) is responsible for the academy, and the Academy Trust signs the Funding Agreement (the contract) with the Secretary of State for Education as part of the establishment of the academy. The trust is a charity, a single legal entity which is accountable for all the schools under its umbrella. It is not a private company and cannot make profits. Like any other state school, an academy is free for students to attend, inspected in the same way, and students take the same examinations.
How is an academy different from being a maintained school as Plashet is now?
There are some legal and practical differences between academy status and being a maintained school. These are outlined in the table at the end of this document.
How many secondary schools are part of an Academy Trust?
In the 2023-24 academic year 81.9% of secondary schools in England were academies or free schools. Of the twenty secondary schools in Newham only five are not academies, with two of the five being Roman Catholic faith schools within the Diocese of Brentwood.
What is a Trust?
A Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is a group of educational academies that come together to form a trust. Academies in the UK school system are educational institutions that rely on state funding directly from the Department for Education (DfE). When they join a trust, funding is shared between the schools under an Academy Funding Agreement.
Independent of local authorities, trusts and their member schools essentially become a charity with a single board of trustees to oversee all decision-making. All staff within trust schools are also employed by the company, forming a conglomerate-type arrangement.
An academy is still recognised as an individual entity in so far as it receives an individual Ofsted inspection outcome. Schools are only grouped from a financial and business perspective as well as more recently a performance standpoint.
How is a Trust managed?
Much like a corporate charity organisation, trusts have a hierarchical structure to govern all academy activities and manage financial spend. Aside from the nominated board of trustees, trusts also appoint an Executive Headteacher or CEO, as well as a Chief Finance Office (CFO) and a Chief Standards Officer (CSO).
Each trust is required to provide a ‘scheme of delegation’ to break down roles, responsibilities and key decision-makers within the organisation. Although trusts achieve more independence than local authority governed schools, they still need to follow existing frameworks to standardise trust management across the country.
When a maintained school converts to an academy, they take on several duties and responsibilities as well as a number of freedoms compared with maintained schools. Governance and accountability of the academy become the responsibility of the trust and its trustees. These accountabilities are financial as well as educational. For example, academies are allowed more freedom to set staff pay and conditions and to determine their own curriculum than maintained schools. Nonetheless, the curriculum must be broad and balanced, and the academy’s provision must meet all a school’s statutory duties, such as Keeping Children Safe in Education and complying with the Equality Act 2010.
What is the City of London Academy Trust?
The City of London family includes schools across the private and state sector as well as many guilds and organisations. Within the City of London sits the City of London Academies Trust or CoLAT which works across five London boroughs - Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Southwark and Newham. Academies within CoLAT are sponsored by the City of London Corporation, an elected body that looks after the business district around St Paul’s in the City of London. The following state sector academies make-up the City of London Academies Trust schools:
- Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre
- Redriff Primary School
- Galleywall Primary School
- City of London Primary Academy Islington
- The City Academy, Hackney
- City of London Academy Islington
- City of London Academy Southwark
- City of London Academy Highbury Grove
- City of London Academy Highgate Hill
- City of London Academy Shoreditch Park
- London Nautical, a City of London Academy
Whilst each academy within the Trust is different, having their own distinct ethos, all are unified in providing a high-quality educational experience that delivers excellent academic outcomes alongside unique opportunities for personal development. As CoLAT’s website states: Our history and connections mean we are unlike any other Trust in the country. We are uniquely able to combine the heritage and tradition of the City of London with an innovative and enterprising approach to teaching and learning.
CoLAT have excellent working relationships with the London boroughs in which they have academies, including Newham and are committed to local admission practices. CoLAT has a strong track record of working collaboratively with schools to drive improvements in outcomes and Ofsted ratings. This academic year CoLAT has been ranked the most improved Trust nationally by the DfE.
We are impressed by CoLAT’s track record of support for their academies in Islington, Lambeth, Hackney, Southwark and here in Newham. CoLAT is able to offer a wealth of support in many key areas that could tangibly benefit our students and staff. We are very excited about the future of Plashet and the opportunities that could come from joining such an established and forward-thinking organisation.
Does the school need agreement from LB Newham to become an Academy?
No. The Academies Act 2010 has removed the need for the Local Authority to approve plans for the school to become an Academy.
What form of relationship will exist between LB Newham and the school?
The school has historically had good relationships with LB Newham as does CoLAT and will seek to maintain and cultivate this in the future. A local authority governor will remain on the Governing Board for example. The Local Authority retains statutory duties for aspects of safeguarding, Special Educational Needs, admissions coordination and provision of home-to-school transport. Local Authorities are also expected to play a key strategic role locally in areas such as pupil place planning, admissions and sharing good practice.
What is the process for Plashet to join the City of London Academy Trust?
The conversion process includes the following key legal processes:
- Putting in place a Supplementary Funding Agreement (SFA).
- Transferring the employment of the staff from LB Newham to the City of London Academy Trust following the statutory TUPE process.
- Agreeing a Commercial Transfer Agreement for the transfer of assets and contracts from the local authority to the City of London Academy Trust.
- Arranging a 125-year lease for the land and buildings with the local authority.
- Aligning finance systems and operations procedures with the City of London.
When could Plashet become an Academy and part of the City of London Academy Trust?
If governors approve making an application to the DfE to join CoLAT we would expect that the process will take approximately a further 5 months, subject to the necessary approval of the Regional Director. The target conversion date would be 1st September 2025.
Will the Governors listen to the views from the consultation?
Yes, every response will be considered by the Governing Board. The responses will help the Governing Board consider the relevant issues before making their decision about whether to proceed or not.
Section 2: Reasons for the proposal
Why is Plashet proposing to voluntarily convert to join the City of London Academy Trust? What are the benefits of joining the City of London Academy Trust?
It is important that Plashet, as a comprehensive school for girls, always remains at the heart of its community and continues to combine its heritage and tradition with an innovative and enterprising approach to teaching and learning derived from the best evidence, and this, we feel, aligns us with CoLAT as part of the City of London at the heart of our capital.
The Governing Board and Leadership Team have been thinking about how Plashet can best collaborate with other schools in a strong and resilient structure so that each student and member of staff is known, cared for and reaches beyond their potential while continuing to learn and develop together. We have therefore been investigating and undertaking due diligence around joining a Trust.
There are lots of reasons why joining a group of schools in a Trust would make us stronger as a school. First and foremost, we have been clear that we will only join a trust whose values fit our values as a school. We will only make a decision that will give our students and staff the very best opportunities now and in the future.
We believe that CoLAT would support the next step in Plashet’s journey, bringing additional capacity to our operations and to the educational benefit of our students whilst also providing us with opportunities to collaborate with and support other schools as well as influence more widely as a specialist girls’ school. We want to be part of a strong and sustainable group of schools so that we are well-placed to meet the challenges education will face over the coming years and ensure we have the right support to continue to improve the quality of education and holistic care we provide.
Collaboration between schools in a Trust is an asset or persuader for a school like Plashet. The benefits of collaboration, alongside autonomy to innovate, and the ability to leave operational matters to be handled by the Trust are reasons for Plashet to join a Trust. We also believe the time is right in terms of national reductions in funding and the support the local authority can offer us. Plashet also needs to be mindful London is experiencing a decline in school rolls.
Our aim is to protect and develop Plashet’s role in comprehensive girl’s education. By joining CoLAT, students and staff will benefit in a number of ways, including:
Wider Curriculum Opportunities
We want to give students wider curriculum opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom and are excited by the opportunities being within the City of London family of schools with access to the added enrichment of the ‘City Experience’ will afford us. Continued excellent education as well as the benefit from CoLAT’s enrichment offer, and the wide range of opportunities provided by the sponsor, City of London Corporation will benefit all students, extending opportunities in both the core and wider curriculum.
Improved Teaching and Learning
We believe joining CoLAT will allow Plashet to secure strategic collaboration, challenge and support to improve further teaching, learning, pastoral and personal development for each student. Collaborating to improve curriculum, teaching and learning resources, and our pedagogy will ensure that all students achieve as much as possible academically, creatively, linguistically, physically and personally.
Increased Provision through greater Collaboration
Joining a trust will afford Plashet opportunities to do things that are difficult to address as an individual school in order to improve the provision for all students. Such as investment in mental health, early help and inclusion, careers information, advice, guidance and opportunities and stronger ties with NCS to support an ‘elevated curriculum’ programme.
Protecting our School for the Future
As part of an excellent trust Plashet will develop resilience for the future. Plashet has felt for some time like an ‘island’ within Newham and by coming together with the strong City of London family of schools we will be stronger, more robust and more resilient for the future.
Better, more efficient use of Funding
Being within CoLAT would make it possible to share resources and services, make efficiencies and reduce costs. Education is facing many threats both nationally and across London, in terms of declining rolls and increased financial pressures eroding public services. With government borrowing already at unprecedented levels, prospects for an increase in school funding in the short to medium terms are extremely low.
Attract the best Teachers, Staff and Leaders
Increased professional development opportunities and career pathways for staff will support the recruitment and retention of the best teachers, staff and leaders. Exploring joint appointments to make us as attractive as possible when recruiting staff, including in areas where an individual school may not require a full-time member of staff and indeed where a teacher might wish to continue to teach to A Level.
If it converts, will Plashet retain its individual ethos?
Yes. We are very clear that the individual name, ethos, character and good practices of Plashet like all schools already in CoLAT will be retained. We have chosen a Trust that views each school as central to its own community. Joining CoLat will simply bring the added benefit of being part of a family of schools receiving and offering support to one another.
Plashet would:
- Retain its name;
- Retain its current age-range Year 7 to Year 11;
- Continue to be a girl’s school;
- Retain its current uniform;
- Retain its current admissions criteria used to determine which children are offered places with LB Newham being its admission authority; and
- Retain its existing staff, who would transfer their employment to CoLAT.
- Retain its culture, ethos, values, high aspirations and expectations.
Section 3: Students
What does the proposal mean for my child?
This proposal is about future improvement and opportunity, not about making lots of changes to Plashet. The benefits of the proposal are in what it allows us to do together more effectively than we can do alone – such as staff recruitment, development and retention by providing more opportunities as a result of being one larger organisation. Similarly, collaboration between our staff will help to improve our collective practice across every aspect of school leadership and operations. This can include curriculum, pedagogy, operations, finance, pastoral support and so forth.
If Plashet joined CoLAT, your child’s experience the day afterwards would be the same – they would be taught the same curriculum, in the same way, by the same staff, with the same school day timings. Over time we expect things to evolve as we work together to keep improving by learning from each other.
What would the safeguards for students be?
Under the terms of the Funding Agreement an academy has to act in exactly the same way as a maintained school in relation to Special Education Needs, behaviour, and exclusions.
Who would be responsible for deciding if a student needs an Education, Health and Care Plan?
The local authority would retain the legal responsibility for leading the EHCP process (which they have now), and for determining whether Plashet is named on the EHCP.
Section 4: Governance
Would there be a change in leadership at the school?
No, the Headteacher, Leadership Team, Chair of Governors and Governing Board would remain and provide vital continuity for the staff, students and the school community.
How would Plashet be governed if it joined CoLAT?
A trust such as CoLAT has three levels of governance:
Members: the guarantors of the charitable company, their main role is to appoint (and if necessary remove) Trustees, but they also have to approve changes to the name of the Academy Trust and the Articles of Association and have certain powers under company law;
- Board of Trustees: Trustees’ exercise all of the powers of the Trust, and determine what powers are delegated to other committees and/or office holders. The Board of Trustees is the legal Governing Board for all schools within the Trust, and Trustees are also Directors under company law;
- Local Governing Boards: As CoLAT has more than one academy, Trustees have established school-level governance to provide oversight of the educational offer to ensure that it meets the needs of its students, of the performance of the school, and of the views of its community. Therefore, each Academy retains a Local Governing Board which, with the Headteacher, will be responsible for the day to day running of the school. The Local Governing Board will have powers delegated from CoLAT under an agreed Scheme of Delegation and is accountable to the Board.
How would parents and staff become part of their respective School Board?
There would be no change. When there is a vacancy, applications are sought from the relevant group (parents or staff), which may outline skill sets that would be particularly useful to the Local Governing Board. If there are the same number or fewer applications than vacancies then those individuals who applied are appointed. If there are more applications than vacancies, the relevant group votes to decide who joins the Local Governing Board.
Section 5: Staff
Does the school have to hold a TUPE consultation with staff?
Under employment legislation the Governing Board on behalf of LB Newham, which is the current employer, will need to conduct a TUPE consultation with all staff (both teaching and non-teaching) and the relevant unions as part of the staff transfer process.
The Governing Board and LB Newham HR is responsible for informing the City of London Academy Trust,as the new employer, of any ‘measures’ which will impact on the employment of staff. There are no such ‘measures’ planned in this case and CoLAT will write to each member of staff confirming that they will transfer under existing terms and conditions.
Would staff pay and conditions change?
No. Whilst Academy Trusts do have the freedom to vary terms and conditions from national ones, the City of London Academy Trust has committed to abiding by nationally agreed teachers’ and support staff pay and condition
If the school becomes an Academy, who takes responsibility for the pension arrangements?
Teachers working in an academy fall within the scope of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS), just as if they were employed in a Local Authority maintained school. Non-teaching staff at schools are able to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The City of London Academies Trust's Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is administered by the City of London Corporation. Employees will pay the same rate as at present under both schemes, subject to any nationally imposed changes.
Section 6: Admissions
Would becoming an Academy affect Plashet’s admissions arrangements?
All CoLAT schools remain part of their local authority admission arrangements and process. Plashet would remain part of LB Newham’s clear and fair admission arrangements in line with the admissions law and the School Admissions Code.
Can a child with a statement of Special Educational Needs nominate an academy as their school of choice?
Yes. These arrangements and related processes must at all times comply with the School Admissions Code, and responsibilities as an Academy in relation to Special Educational Needs will be just the same as they are now as a maintained school.
Would Plashet, as an academy, have to be a part of the annual coordinated admissions scheme where LB Newham needs to find places for families relocating to the area etc.
Yes, Academy Funding Agreements would require Plashet to be in local coordination. This means that LB Newham will continue to send out offers of places as it coordinates admissions for in-year applications and applications for year groups other than the normal point(s) of entry. Academies are also required through their Funding Agreements to participate in local fair access protocols which help to ensure that no child is without a school place.
Would Plashet, if part of CoLAT, decide to bring in academic selection?
No, there will be no introduction of selection. Schools which already select some or all of their pupils may continue to do so when they become Academies, but schools becoming Academies cannot decide to become new selective schools.
Section 7: Finance
Do academies receive extra funding compared to community schools? Will Plashet receive more funding as an Academy?
The funding Plashet would receive if it were an academy would be very similar to that which it receives as a community school. Academies receive the same amount of per-pupil funding as they would receive from the Local Authority as a maintained school. The core revenue funding methodology is the same, with only minor technical differences that are unlikely to be material to the decision of the Governing Board. One point of difference is that an academy financial year runs from September to August and so matches the academic year.
The Government is clear that becoming an Academy should not bring about a financial advantage or disadvantage to a school. However, academies do have greater freedom to decide how they use their entire budget, and Multi Academy Trusts are able to identify efficiency savings from enhanced partnership working. There are other financial advantages, for example VAT is recoverable on normal business activities and capital works.
Section 8: Land and buildings
What happens to the land occupied by Plashet?
LB Newham owns the Plashet site and, if Plashet converted, would grant a 125 year lease (at peppercorn rent) to CoLAT on the date that the Plashet joined the trust.
How would Plashet access capital funding to improve its facilities?
Academies receive some capital funding, called Devolved Formula Capital, according to the same methodology as maintained schools. To access additional capital funding for specific projects (most typically those related to condition needs of our buildings, such as heating systems or roof works) CoLAT would take the lead on this on Plashet’s behalf as it would be eligible for direct School Condition Allocation funding. This is calculated according to a national formula and CoLAT would then determine how it should be spent based upon the needs of the estate and their vision and priorities. Currently LB Newham is the responsible body for the buildings and has this role.
Section 9: Accountability
Does Ofsted inspect academies?
Yes, Ofsted is responsible for inspecting academies using the same inspection framework as it does for maintained schools.
How can the Secretary of State for Education intervene in an academy?
The Secretary of State for Education has the ability to require the transfer of an academy school from one academy trust to another in certain situations, for example if a school is eligible for ‘special measures’ or ‘requires significant improvement’ following an Ofsted inspection; if student performance is unacceptably low; if there has been a serious breakdown in the governance or management of the academy; or if the safety of students or staff is threatened.
How would the academy be accountable?
The academy will be run by a local board of governors who will be accountable to the City of London Academies Trust, who oversee it. In addition, the school will also be accountable to the Department for Education through the terms of its Funding Agreement.
Please complete this response form: https://forms.gle/aFdanZsDad7nSJs46
Further Information
If you require any assistance please email or telephone the school: info@plashet.newham.sch.uk or 0208 471 2418.
Plashet will host a further consultation meeting for parents as well as separate meetings for staff which we will publish shortly.
plashet school formal consultation information.pdf