Parent Information Session – Friday 12 December

Present:

  • Peter Hellman (Chair of Governors)
  • Annie Wiles (CEO, Aquila Trust)
  • James Tibbles (Headteacher)
  • 10 parents

Overview of Aquila Trust

Annie Wiles introduced Aquila, explaining it is a mixed trust of church (aided and controlled) and non-church schools. Schools join the Trust on an “as is” basis.

Key assurances

  • No changes to the Local Governing Body (LGB) or its role
  • No changes to staff terms and conditions
  • Staffing appointments remain with the school and governors
  • Curriculum decisions stay with individual schools – no “one size fits all”
  • Parental representation on governing bodies remains important and protected
  • Autonomy and delegation are formally enshrined in Trust documentation

Support from Aquila

  • Back-office services are designed to reduce administrative workload so schools can focus on teaching and learning
  • Shared financial arrangements (including an ABC retirement scheme) approved by the Trust board
  • De-delegated costs were explained (e.g. moderation services), with examples of potential savings
  • School resources (such as minibuses) remain the school’s property, with priority always given to that school

Governance & leadership

  • No changes to current governance arrangements or delegated powers
  • If a new headteacher were appointed, governors would still lead the process, with Aquila acting as external adviser instead of KCC
  • Schools are governed rather than “owned”; Aquila has five Members overseeing the Trust

Staffing

  • Academies are permitted to employed unqualified teachers  but these would be a school decision. Some schools in Aquila use this flexibility when employing sports coaches, etc.
  • The school does not foresee a situation where a unqualified teacher would be a substantive class teacher.
  • Any unqualified staff would be paid on national unqualified teacher pay scales

SEND and funding

  • Statutory responsibility for SEND remains with the Local Authority
  • SEN funding continues to come from the LA
  • Funding for vulnerable pupils (FSM, Pupil Premium, etc.) is not affected by the Trust’s top-slice
  • Aquila has invested in shared expertise, including an Educational Psychologist
  • EHCPs and funding applications would still go through KCC
  • Aquila has created its own SENCO support network (LIFT)

Financial matters

  • Any school surplus stays with that school
  • Aquila holds an overall Trust surplus
  • Money is not clawed back if unspent
  • If a school runs a deficit, Aquila works collaboratively with the school to identify solutions

Impact on families

  • Parents should not notice any change on “Day 1” beyond branding (logo, letterhead)
  • The Trust’s role is to support improvement, not impose change
  • No change to assessment policies or a move to being more data-driven

Examples of Trust-wide support

  • Strong Early Years collaboration
  • Initiatives such as Drawing Club to support early writing
  • Improved access to specialist support for vulnerable pupils

Staff perspective

  • Staff are described as ‘cautiously optimistic’ although cannot pre-empt the outcomes from the consultation.

Why Aquila (and not other Trusts)?

  • Other Trusts were discounted due to concerns around enforced staff movement, inadequate back-office support, or geographical distance limiting meaningful collaboration

Final reflections

  • Financial considerations are part of the discussion, but not the sole reason for exploring this move
  • The school believes Aquila aligns with its values and priorities