To discontinue The John Bramston School so that it can be replaced by an Academy. The proposal is related to similar proposals being published by the governing bodies of The Rickstones School, Witham and Greensward College, Hockley. The intention is that all three schools close and are replaced by three Academies which would be federated.

Strategic Leadership?

The three academies would come under the strategic leadership of a single trust to be known as the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET). The lead sponsor of the Academies, through the Trust arrangement, will be Greensward College, which is designated by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) as a High Performing School. Lord Hanningfield, the leader of Essex County Council, will be Patron of the Trust. Other trustees will be the chairs of governors of the three schools, representatives from Witham and Hockley, the Local Authority and the DCSF as well as other Trust appointees.

How would the academies be funded?

Academies are publicly funded independent schools at which education is provided free to all pupils, Their independent status allows them the flexibility to be innovative and creative in their curriculum, staffing and governance arrangements. Academies therefore, work in different ways to traditional schools; they are not maintained by a local authority but, in this case, by the “Academies Enterprise Trust”, a registered charity established by the Sponsor. The governing body of each Academy will comprise representatives of the trust and the Local Authority, as well as parents and teachers.

How will the Academies ensure the highest quality of teaching and learning?

The Academies will offer an enhanced range of professional development opportunities for staff and will secure training of the highest quality. In addition the establishment of the Academies in Witham will bring forward a significant sum of capital in the order of £40 to replace the buildings and create state of the art learning environments fit for education in the 21st Century.

Why is this being proposed?

For a number of years Greensward College in Hockley and other High Performing Schools have been working with a range of less successful school across England in an effort to build the capacity of these schools to take responsibility for their continuous and sustainable improvement. Evidence has shown that where this model works most effectively, ‘failing’ schools not only make relatively rapid progress but they also continue to improve.

How did Greensward College become involved with The John Bramston School?

Greensward College was appointed by Essex Local Authority to work with The John Bramston School to assist it in efforts to be removed from Special Measures

Why was The John Bramston School invited to be involved in the Academy bid.?

In June 2007 Greensward College was invited by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families to submit a bid for Accelerated Pathfinder Academy status. Greensward College felt that there would be enormous advantages to The John Bramston School in being involved in the bid and duly consulted with the governors of The John Bramston School and with Essex Local Authority. Both parties gave their support to the proposal.

Why did The Rickstones School become involved in the bid?

Having reflected on the Witham element of the proposal, Essex Local Authority felt that there was a danger in having only one of the secondary schools in Witham become an academy, as this could potentially fragment the Childrens Trust arrangements in the area involving the two secondary schools and their partner primary schools. The Local Authority was also concerned that there needed to be a vision for the whole of secondary education in Witham and suggested that The Rickstones School should also be invited to submit an expression of interest in moving to academy status. This request was based on a concern that the move to academy status for The John Bramston School alone in Witham and federation with the Greensward Academy would see The John Bramston School make rapid and sustainable progress, possibly at the expense of The Rickstones School. The governing body of The Rickstones School unanimously voted in favour of submitting a joint Expression of interest as part of Greensward College’s Academy Pathfinder bid. This proposal has the full support of Essex Local Authority, which believes if offers a number of potential benefits to each of the schools involved in the Trust and will ensure high quality education for all children in Witham.

How will we get there?

As part of the change to academy status there is a legal requirement to close the existing schools formally before the new Academies can open in their place. The technical term used in the legislation refers to the “discontinuance” of the schools. There is a legal process which must be followed, including an initial consultation period when everyone with an interest in the matter has an opportunity to make representations about the plans for the schools, and then another period when formal public notices are published proposing that each school be discontinued and all interested parties have an opportunity to make their final representations or lodge objections to that proposal. Whatever the outcome of this formal process to discontinue John Bramston School, the closure will only go ahead if the new Academy to take its place, sponsored by the AET, is agreed. This will happen when the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families signs a “Funding Agreement” with the Trust which sets out in great detail the basis for running and funding the Academy. This funding is expected to be signed towards the end of May 2008. There is no possibility that the school will close without alternative, higher quality provision being available for the students. If the proposal does go ahead and the Academy is established, all children on the roll of the School at the point it closes will automatically transfer to the roll of the ‘replacement’ Academy. There will be a separate but linked consultation process about the establishment of the Academy running alongside this closure process for each school. There will be presentations at the public meetings, open evenings at primary schools, an informative DVD and various other opportunities to hear more about the proposed Academies and how they will transform secondary education for the children of Witham and Hockley. This consultation will set out details about the size, age range and admission limit of each Academy, the post-16 provision and the admission arrangements. The views expressed during this process will inform the Secretary of State in reaching a decision about whether to proceed with setting up each Academy under the sponsorship of the AET.

What will it be like?

As an Academy, The John Bramston School will have a more independent status than at present, which will allow greater flexibility to be innovative and creative in curriculum, staffing and governance arrangements in order to raise educational standards. There will be advantages to the schools individually in becoming academies. There will also be advantages for the schools collectively under the sponsorship of the AET. For example, the Academies will be able to work closely together on curriculum issues and can share expertise and resources amongst themselves. The Academies will all have their own specialism’s. It is proposed that Greensward will have Science and Vocational specialisms. The John Bramston, Science and Sport, and The Rickstones, Performing Arts and Mathematics. The Academies will be able to share the particular expertise that is available to them in these areas, which will give better opportunities to children than each individual school would be able to offer. The Academies will be able to work together more effectively because of the strategic leadership that will be provided by the Academies Enterprise Trust. The Trust will have the responsibility for setting the overall direction of the three Academies, and will be made up of representatives of the Academies, along with representatives from the local communities and others involved in the management of the Trust. There will also be a management board, whose responsibilities will include allocating budgets to the individual Academies, evaluating their performance and ensuring that effective partnership arrangements are in place with the community, the Local Authority and the voluntary and private sectors. The individual Academies will also have governing bodies which will be responsible for running them, within the wider process and strategies which have been agreed by the Academy Trust and Management Board. The Academies will also share their facilities and expertise with other local schools and the wider community.

Why is a visual identity or brand important?

As Academies, the schools will be very different – with new facilities, new ways of learning and new buildings. As part of the Academy feasibility process, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) ask that we work with the key stakeholders to agree a name and visual identity that reflects your school as it will be in the future.

What about the existing logos?

Along with the brand, it makes sense for the schools to consider their existing logos and how they will work as future Academies. Also, as part of a potential ‘family of Academies’ comprising Greensward College, The John Bramston School and The Rickstones School, logo designs should reflect if possible that the three schools are working together to deliver educational excellence.

Why does our school need a logo at all?

Our brains recognise shape first, then colour and then content so, as visual symbols, logos instantly sum up your school and its values. With their consistent use across everything from school newsletters to school signs, people will recognise it and associate it with your school and what it stands for. Logos are also about giving people a sense of belonging, of being part of the same group.

What makes a good logo?

A good logo is one that is simple, distinctive, easily and instantly recognised and interpreted, and appropriate and relevant to the organisation it represents. It also needs to be practical to print on lots of different items.

Why ask me about the name and logo?

It’s your school, so it’s important that you can have an input. If the Academies go ahead we want the staff, students, parents, governors and the community to be proud of their Academy’s identity – it is what will represent the Academy both internally and in the outside world.

Will the uniform change?

If it is decided to have new logos for the Academies, any existing uniform items with school logos on them may need to be changed. There is funding available from the DCSF to cover new uniforms for all students in Years 7 to 11. We will keep you up to date on developments regarding the uniforms.

Will the uniform change?

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