The joint governing body of two Hove schools is proposing that they join an academy trust and is preparing to start a consultation with parents, staff and the wider community.
The schools – West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School – formed the Hove Learning Federation three years ago and could soon become part of the Aurora Academies Trust.
Aurora already runs City Academy Whitehawk which was created after Whitehawk Primary School was rated “inadequate” by the official watchdog Ofsted. The primary is now outstanding on most measures.
West Hove Infant School currently has an outstanding Ofsted rating while Hove Junior School is graded good.
If the Hove Learning Federation joins an academy trust, it would follow moves by other nearby schools such as West Blatchington Primary School, Hangleton Primary School and Benfield Primary School.
Two other nearby schools are also academies, having been set up as “free schools”. They are the Bilingual Primary School and the King’s School which caters for 11 to 18-year-olds.
West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School, between them, have almost 1,200 pupils and operate from three sites – in School Road, Portland Road and Holland Road.
A message earlier today (Tuesday 5 November) said that the Hove Learning Federation had agreed to consult the schools’ stakeholders, including parents, teachers and members of the local community.
The federation was giving all stakeholders “advance notice” of a statutory consultation starting next Tuesday (12 November) and ending on Tuesday 10 December.
The governors said: “This is a well-considered decision and we believe this partnership is the best option for our schools’ future success.
“We are committed to maintaining our ethos and values, ensuring every child thrives academically and personally.
“The decision to explore joining an academy is driven by the need for long-term financial and operational sustainability in an increasingly challenging educational environment.
“Joining Aurora will ensure the school’s future and continued excellence in education.
“The consultation process is open and transparent, with input from all stakeholders, and the school will retain its identity, culture and close ties to the community.
“The schools’ commitment to inclusive education remains unchanged.
“This partnership will strengthen our ability to maintain high standards of for all pupils and help us better meet the changing needs of our community, ensuring our two schools continue to adapt and thrive.”
In June, Brighton and Hove City Council suggested that schools could “federate” – or join forces – as a way of tackling their financial shortfalls and falling pupil numbers at a summit at the county cricket ground, in Hove.
Heads subsequently walked out of a meeting with the council to discuss the idea which was aimed in part at finding ways to share some costs.
But today officials were holding an event with school governors from across Brighton and Hove to share more information about the proposal at Hove Town Hall.
Previously, the Labour deputy leader of the council, Jacob Taylor, said that pupil numbers were falling, leaving schools with too many unfilled places.
Schools are mainly funded per pupil. And as a result of the spare places, a growing number of schools have a financial deficit, potentially leaving the council to pick up the bill.
West Hove Infant School has 360 children at its School Road site, with a published admission number – or PAN – of 120, according to the council website. At Holland Road, it has 126 children, with a PAN of 60.
Hove Junior School has 505 pupils at its Portland Road site, with a PAN of 128. At Holland Road, the school has 186 children, with a PAN of 64.
As such, the Hove Learning Federation has 1,177 pupils on roll, making it – in effect – the biggest state primary school in Brighton and Hove.
Its current PAN suggests that pupil numbers should be 1,300, meaning that about 10 per cent classroom places are unfilled.
This affects the finances. The infant school carried forward a “licensed deficit” of more than 520,000 into the current financial year, up from almost £210,000 a year earlier.
The junior school started the financial year with a licensed deficit of £67,000, up from £25,000 a year earlier.
More than half the schools in Brighton and Hove have licensed deficits as they and the council try to grapple with the falling number of children living in the area.
IIRC an academy school can’t be forced to reduce its PAN which means any reductions in school enrolments need to be met by non academy schools.
Whilst this may “save” these 2 schools it also means than other schools will be much harder hit in the efforts to take surplus places out of the system.
Effectively displacing the problem, Chris?
Exactly.
Part of this story is incorrect, the city academy whitehawk is rated good officially as of May 2024 not outstanding as the story leads you to believe. In fact looking at all seven of the academies led by this trust they are all rated good, none are outstanding…good for thought!
Aurora already runs City Academy Whitehawk which was created after Whitehawk Primary School was rated “inadequate” by the official watchdog Ofsted. The primary is now outstanding on most measures.
The story does not say that City Academy Whitehawk is “outstanding” but that is is “outstanding on most measures” – which is correct. Four out of the five areas of judgement are judged “outstanding” (behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years) and one “good” (quality of education), leading to an overall judgment of “good”.
That may be true but the story is misleading as it’s leading you to believe it’s rated outstanding which it is not
http://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report
Good overall but, as the story says, outstanding on most measures. You may be looking at an older report.
But it doesn’t say that, it’s leading you to believe it’s rated outstanding so it is misleading
The article says exactly that – “The primary is now outstanding on most measures.” Nothing misleading about that?
One big issue for the council is that the licensed deficit will not be taken forward with the school into the academy – the LA will have to write it off as a bad debt.
If a number of schools follow West Hove (as seems likely after the bungled Federation launch) then the situation for council funding will be even worse – schools walking away from their debt and income for the LA falling at the same time as funding transfers to the academies.
Your comment is incorrect – there’s a difference in the process between sponsored academies and converter academies, and what you say only applies to sponsored academies, not converter academies. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-conversion-surplus-and-deficit-balance-transfer-process
Thank you for clarifying the difference. There does seem to be provision for the LA to not chase the debt and it’ll be interesting to see what level of deficit is agreed and what choices the LA make when the time comes.
Ofsted are registered by themselves, they make their own rules.
Incorrect. They are accountable to parliament.
The proposal document is definitely worth a read. In one of its more lucid moments it suggests that dissolving the local governing body and giving the schools to a MAT will address the low birth rate of the city!
Other than that it is mainly about “visions”, a couple of questionable “facts” and a pushy sales pitch.
No mention of central service charges (which a MAT can change as often as it likes), licensing of debt, staffing cuts, the financial health of the MAT, what specifically the MAT have committed to bring to the table in terms of funding, capaital spending, what happens if the schools are re-brokered, the recent removal of grants to MATs, government plans to force MATs to co-operate with local authorities over pupil allocation or the fact that the current governing body have every freedom (it is they that run the school, not the local authority) and those freedoms will all disappear in a puff of centralised beaurocracy if the transfer goes ahead.
What is so easily forgotten is that academisation does not replace the local authority, it replaces the governing body of the school (who can get support and services from wherever they like) – the very same people who make the decision to hand schools over to a MAT.
The plans have been kept top secret from staff and unions (likely for at least a year) until the point at which it could not legally be kept secret any longer – literally, public consultation. Just four weeks to consult on the “proposal” to permanently lose two more local community assets!
All pifflling inconsequential details of course… let’s instead discuss again those magical visions of a “robust digital strategy”! Make mine a double.