Each academy pays a contribution of 5% from their General Annual Grant. This enables the Trust to provide core services which:
·
are required to enable the Trust and each individual school to fulfil its statutory and other duties
·
provide immediate and ongoing school improvement support to each school
·
are required to ensure appropriate responsibility to the DfE, Local Authority (which still carries statutory responsibility for education outcomes for children and young people residing in Kent), the Charity Commission and other relevant bodies
The Trust provides the following benefits:
Finance and Business Services
· An initial finance set-up to ensure compliance with statutory requirements
· Ensuring academies remain focused on educational priorities by supporting all financial and business support functions
· Central finance function including accounting returns to the Charity Commission and Education Funding Agency, VAT accounting and recoupment, annual external Audit of Accounts (mandatory), Accounting Officer (responsible to Parliament), monitoring of accounts
· Budget preparation and management support
· Support and training relating to accounting software
· Ensure compliance to the Academies Handbook and Accounts Direction
In addition, the Trust offers the following support:
Quality Assurance for school effectiveness
At least 6 visits per year with an attached consultant
Securing improvement resources and training from a wide range of providers
Data analysis, target setting and pupil progress reviews
Triangulation of evidence, demonstrating impact
Headteacher appraisal
Premises and Insurance
Support to manage projects, bids or capital development
Emergency support e.g. building damage or dealing with the media
A comprehensive risk management tool
Common Infrastructure Services
This exists to ensure best value as well as consistent reporting. It is important that all academies within the Trust use common infrastructure services so that specific external services and internal management systems are standardised.
The Trust will procure and charge for the following (including licences where appropriate):
- Corero (Civica) Finance package
- HR Admin and Payroll (Capita)
- HR Advice/Consultancy through Schools’ Personnel Service
- Management Information System including assessment and tracking (SIMS)
Other services required by an academy can be commissioned by the individual academy in line with devolved responsibilities, which are described in the Scheme of Delegation. The Trust will also ensure that academies are able to take advantage of its ‘buying power’ by providing access to additional services where it has already undertaken due diligence, e.g. IT and recruitment specialists.
The Trust also provides:
§ Opportunities to access coaching for leadership and other training
§ Training for Local Governing Bodies
§ Model statutory policies and guidance/principles for others
§ The opportunity to commission pedagogical action research projects through Canterbury Christ Church University and participate in post-graduate courses
§ School to school support
§ A bespoke data management system
§ Opportunities to increase the effectiveness of the school SIMS system
The DBE Core Services Agreement remains in place, payable separately to the Board of Education.
