My daughters primary school is considering academy status and wanting to join the equals trust

[Guest]

I was wondering if I could pick some brains.

My daughters primary school is considering academy status and wanting to join the equals trust. So I’m not entirely sure what this means for the future of the school and I would like to know if anyone’s children have been through this change in their school and what kind of experiences your child and yourself have had, good or bad.

[Witchy]

My sons school old head - is now CEO of the trust she made.

School has gone downhill - staff turnover is sky high, senior team at my sons school are can’t keep the staff - and the good ones always leave (it’s a specialist school)

It’s definitely not the school I signed my son up to 9 years ago - oh and it’s doubled in size. From 107 kids on roll to 208 last I looked - and capacity is 164 literally bursting at the seams it is. Living on the good name it one deserved.

As for the trust as a whole but my ex head who’s CEO did get an OBE for services to whatever tbf I do like her - it’s a shame she’s no longer head

[Debbie]

Ours changed to an academy and its not been a positive change. They changed the uniform and it meant most people who had plenty of uniform from older children who had attended suddenly had to fork out for now uniform.

The communication is excessive and the safeguarding by the school has been appalling, they haven't dealt with a bullying culture that has been there for a few years and nothing ever seems to be followed through on even when promised. They are very much a tick box exercise type of structure. I don't know whether it's just the school overall or the academy itself but if I had my time over again I'd have moved elsewhere.

Sorry its not more positive

[Kay]

Shouldn't make any difference to the kids.
Only change should be to the business side.
Obviously depends on the trust you are joining

[Cherie]

Having worked in schools which became academies (and then changed to a different academy chain) usually kids won't notice any changes apart from maybe colour schemes/ uniforms changing colour depending on the academy chain. I've seen high staff change over because of one bringing in own staff and not being nice to work for but not always like that (that's why ours changed again to another academy chain) Also notice more resources and staff from different schools under the same academy trust sometimes work more together in training etc but from a parent point of you you'd probably not notice anything different

[Annie]

No change whatsoever for my sons school. Didn’t even change the uniform. If they didn’t join an academy they would of had to close. We have just had a good overall with 2 outstanding categories from ofsted.

[Lauren]

Awful! They run like a military camp & don't put children's needs first. That's my opinion from person experience anyway! X

[Karen]

I hate the fact our school joined the academy! We choose the school as it wasn't like the other we didn't like and once they joined the academy it changed so much and lots became all the awful things we hated about the other one! Each school will certainly vary and some don't rely even notice a difference x

[Nicola]

Hi our School had to become N academy due to ofsted results.. then it became part of an even bigger one.

They refreshed the teachers, better management amazing head. No change to the logo/uniform. School has its own initiatives and values but access to better network/ideas/training is my opinion/view.

[Claire]

Its a case of the school is run like more of a business. Obviously profit making but I have found more resources.

[Kelly]

It doesn't make a difference to the child or parent. Becoming part of an academy simply means they have more say over how budgets are spent and are part of a group that can help each other with decisions that the school would otherwise be making alone. They are still subject to local authority and ofsted.

[Kimberley]

Unfortunately all schools are being told they have to become part of an academy/ trust by 2030, sadly some trusts will be better managed than others but it should mean that the school can access services for children and training for staff which are being phased out/ already disappeared from county councils as funding is now so dire for schools.

[Sarah]

They're awful. Your school loses its identity and gets swallowed up in the trust and usually the leader or ceo of the secondary starts dictating everything and calling all the shots.