Bude Communities' Schools’ Trust
a rural co-operative partnership
Seven local Bude Area schools, namely Bude Infant School,Bude Junior School, Budehaven Community School,Jacobstow Community Primary School, Kilkhampton Junior and Infant School, Stratton Primary School and Whitstone Community Primary School are proposing to become foundation schools and jointly set up a trust: in this case a co-operative learning trust: to be known as ‘Bude Communities’ Schools’ Trust.
The proposed trust will have two founder partners working with the seven named schools. These are: Cornwall Council and The Co-operative Movement, (represented in the interim by the Co-operative College).
This page provides an overall summary of the full consultation document, Booklet One, ‘Changing from Community to Foundation School Category and Acquiring a Charitable Trust’.
Existing Partnership & New Proposals
The seven named schools have worked together for many years, and this has included the Bude Area Heads’ Group, the Bude Area Governors Network, the Bude Sports Partnership and the Bude Area Extended Services Network. The two local church primary schools at Marhamchurch and Morwenstow are also working with us but are unable to be founder members of the Trust because they are already in the Diocesan Trust.
Headteachers, teachers and governors from our schools meet together regularly to share ideas and to receive training. Children attending our schools often take part in activities organised by the schools working together. This has helped all of our schools to improve by sharing best practice.
Working as a collaborative cluster has helped us to develop a common set of aims and values. The seven schools have now decided to formalise this collaborative working by seeking to create a shared trust.
As well as playing a full role in the development of the Co-operative Trust, the Governors of Budehaven Community School are also actively exploring the potential, additional benefits that may accrue by the school subsequently converting to Cooperative Academy Trust at a future date.
The purpose of the proposed Trust will be to enable us to continue to raise expectations and standards across the partnership and make our existing collaboration more sustainable.
What is a Foundation Trust School?
This is a local authority maintained foundation school which is supported by a charitable trust. Trusts can be set up by individual schools or groups of schools, and involve formal collaboration with partners.
The seven schools are proposing the co operative trust model, which link schools together mutually using co-operative principles.
The Trust would be its own social and educational co-operative, adopting co-operative values and principles. There are some 200 schools nationally that are now co-operative schools, the fastest growing network of schools in England, and they are growing more quickly in Cornwall than anywhere else. As a co-operative trust we shall embrace the values and principles of the co-operative movement.
The membership of the Trust will be the custodians of the Co-operative values, and we plan that the membership will be open not only to students, staff and parents but also to the wider community. Bude Communities’ Schools’ Trust will truly work with and serve the community in which we all live.
If we became a Trust, what would stay the same and what would change?
Stay the same
- Each school would continue to teach the National Curriculum, receive the same Local Authority (LA) funding, and be OFSTED inspected. Each would also remain part of the LA family of schools.
- Each school’s Governing Body remains responsible for running its own school.
- Teachers would automatically continue to be employed on the same terms and conditions and we would make sure that this was also true for support staff. Quite simply, all staff remain on their existing pay and conditions.
Change
- Each Governing Body (not the LA), would now legally employ staff. Each school would also become responsible for its own admissions, but be bound by the School Admissions Code. School assets (grounds and buildings) would be held by the Trust rather than the Local Authority.
- The Trust will appoint 2 or 3 additional governors to support and strengthen each Governing Body.
- The Trust will also set up a Members Forum to represent the views of all members of the Trust including parents/carers, staff, pupils and the local community.
If so much is going to stay the same, why change?
The seven schools together with the two church, partner schools are responsible for the state education of every child in the area.
The chief reasons for change are around improving capacity, embedding sustainability and further raising standards across all our schools.
By working even more closely together and being brought together as a Trust, we can help our schools to be more successful, speeding up the impact of current school improvement strategies.
We also know that there are a number of costs we can share, to free up more money for work with pupils. Our schools already benefit from working together and shared Trust status will increase co-operation between schools for the benefit of all involved.
Trust status will help us to establish strong long-term partnerships with key partners who would help increase resources and opportunities for staff and pupils at a time when the role and function of local education authorities is being greatly and rapidly reduced.
We feel that we will be better able to serve our local school communities by working together to raise standards and aspirations, increase opportunities and provide greater social cohesion.
The consultation is open to everyone who might be affected by the proposed changes: parents/carers, pupils, staff, governors, potential partners and the wider school communities.
The Consultation Process and Timetable.
This stage of the process runs from Thursday 31st May to Thursday 5th July 2012.
There will be plenty of opportunity during the consultation period for you to find out more and make your views known. If you are unable to attend any of the scheduled meetings, your views are still welcome. Simply complete the attached Public Consultation Questionnaire and return it to any of the seven schools. (There will also be a second, statutory consultation phase from Thursday 6th September – Thursday 4th October if at the end of this first stage, some or all of the governing bodies confirm their intentions to proceed and publish a statutory notice).
- Staff (of all 7 schools) 4.00pm on Monday 18th June @ Budehaven Community School.
- Public (for all 7 schools) 6.30pm on Monday 18th June @ Budehaven Community School.
Parents’ meetings will be held at the individual schools as follows:
- Budehaven Community School Monday 18th June @ 5.30pm
- Bude Infants and Bude Junior Schools (at Bude Infants) Tuesday 19th June @ 6.30pm
- Stratton Primary School Wednesday 20th June @ 2.30pm
- Jacobstow Community Primary School Wednesday 20th June @ 5.00pm
- Kilkhampton Junior and Infant School Wednesday 20th June @ 7.00pm
- Whitstone Community Primary School Friday 22nd June @ 3.15pm
- Governing Bodies receive consultation report and decide whether or not to proceed - Monday 9th July 2012
- Governing Bodies publish Statutory Notice of proposed changes - Thursday 6th September to Thursday 4th October 2012
- Governing Bodies receive responses from 4 week Statutory Notice period and consider the final report - Tuesday 9th October 2012
- The Trust is set up (proposed date) - 1st November 2012
Bude rural Consultation Report (click on the image below to enlarge)
STATUTORY PROPOSALS (click on the image below to enlarge)
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Bude Communities' Schools' Trust
