The first step to joining the Trust is the school's consultation with its community. As a new school begins this process let us tell you a little bit more about what is involved.
We believe that joining our family of schools should be an open, transparent and easy to understand process. There can be anxiety around the idea of joining a Multi Academy Trust, from staff concerns to questions of autonomy and identity as well as parental and community worries about changes being made ‘to’ the school. As we continue to grow our Trust, we want to share a little more about the process of joining our family of schools to demystify and reduce these anxieties.
The precursor to starting the journey to join the Good Shepherd Trust is finding out all about us! School leaders, governing body members and communities can do that by exploring our website, following us on social media or by contacting us and requesting a meeting with our CEO Claire Render.
The latest school to begin this process is Ellenborough and Ewanrigg Infant School. The school’s leaders and governing body have been contemplating the advantages and potential benefits of joining the Trust and have decided to move the process forward by consulting with their community. You can find out more about their consultation here.
The consultation is a fixed period that allows staff, parents, community members and all stakeholders to find out more about the Trust, to ask questions and to express an opinion about the potential conversion. The consultation includes a meeting that everyone is welcome to attend, here there is a presentation about what conversion would mean and about the Good Shepherd's aims and vision. The meeting is also an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the implications for the school.
At the end of the consultation period it is the school's governing body who will decide whether to proceed with the conversion process. The next step is applying for an academy order from the DfE, this releases the start up grant.
At all stages of the conversion process the Trust’s central team are there to help and support the school and its leaders. Our experienced team can support with matters of finance and budgetary planning as well as HR advice and guidance on transferring employees.
At the Trust everyone is very excited to see how Ellenborough and Ewanrigg’s consultation progresses, and we hope to bring you the next stage in the conversion journey soon.
