Academy Conversion Consultaion Meeting
Dear Parents and Carers,
The correspondence below was posted to you all individually on Friday 26th June along with an annual school report for your child or children. Hopefully this will have been received by today. I just wanted to ensure that the information has reached you safely, hence the additional distribution via Ping. A copy has also been added to our ‘Latest News’ section on our webpage, where you can translate into any language at the click of a button.
Proposed Conversion of Marshfield Primary School to Academy Status
I write to inform you of the proposed intention of the school to become an academy, and joining the Carlton Academy Trust (CAT).
The school has achieved much over recent years, and the logical next step is to build on this by joining CAT, where Marshfield will lead the development of primary schools within the trust. This will in effect enable the creation of a Marshfield Multi-Academy Primary Trust, a very exciting prospect that would not be available to us as a stand-alone school.
As part of this process we will be formally consulting with all key stakeholders on the nature of these proposed changes. Parents are one such key group, and to provide you with greater details of the changes we have arranged two parent and carers’ consultation meetings to be held on Monday 13 July. There will be two sessions, one starting at 4pm and a second at 5pm. Refreshments will be served and translators will be available. We will also ensure social distancing guidance and requirements are fulfilled at all times.
With Covid-19, we have to take additional precautions to plan for any event in school. In view of this, if you wish to attend the meeting, please can you contact school by 3 p.m. on Wednesday 8th July, so that we can make any necessary arrangements.
A list of frequently asked questions is included overleaf relating to the conversion, which should hopefully answer most or all of your questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an Academy?
An academy is a state school that is out of local authority control, being funded directly by central government. Rather than being accountable to the local authority, they are directly accountable to the Department for Education. This provides greater freedoms to innovate and lead to improve teaching and learning and standards at the school. This is a well-established process within Bradford and the country, with over 5500 primary academies in England at the end of 2019.
What is a Multi-Academy Trust? (MAT)
A MAT is the legal framework to lead a group of academies who share a common sense of ethos and vision. The trust will also enable the academies to support each other in developing and sharing best practice, staffing and resources.
Which MAT will we be joining?
The Carlton Academy Trust. This is a Bradford based MAT, which has grown out of the success of Carlton Bolling, an ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted-rated secondary school who were named ‘Secondary School of the Year’ in the 2019 BBC/Pearson National Teaching Awards.
What is the proposed academy conversion date?
The proposed conversion date is January 1st 2021.
Who has proposed the move to academy status?
This is a move that has been proposed by senior leaders at Marshfield, backed by governors and approved by the Department for Education in May. The move will facilitate improved standards at the school, as well as far greater scope for Marshfield to influence practice within and beyond the city with all the advantages that brings.
Will I see big changes at the school when they convert to academy status?
No, the daily experience for your child will remain the same. There are no plans to change school uniforms, staff, classrooms, signage or similar with a move in to the trust. Most changes will be behind the scenes in the administration of the school which serve to support improved teaching and learning.