What Is A Trust School?
A Trust school1 is a local authority maintained school which is supported by a charitable Trust which appoints some of the governors.
It operates within the same frameworks as other maintained schools: it will teach the National Curriculum, follow the School Admissions Code and be inspected by Ofsted. Teaching staff will be employed under the terms of the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document. The local authority will fund the school on the same basis as all other local authority schools and will retain its intervention powers if there are problems at the school.
Trust schools differ because their charitable Trust establishes a long-term relationship with external partners and involves them in the school’s governance and leadership.
How Trust Schools Work
Acquiring a Trust will be a way for schools to raise standards through strengthening collaboration and drawing on the expertise and energy of their partners to support the school’s strategic leadership. They will build on the characteristics shared by some of our highest performing schools: confident institutions with a distinctive ethos; with a strong governing body that challenges and supports the school to improve; and working closely with others in sustainable partnerships.
It will be for individual schools’ governing bodies to decide whether to adopt Trust status.
Partners And Leadership
Many schools already benefit from the support and input of a range of external organizations – Trusts are a way to move beyond ad-hoc projects and to put in place long-term sustainable arrangements. A shared Trust for several schools is a way to build on collaboration and to develop a shared sense of direction.
The governing body of a Trust school (which retains parents, staff, community and local authority governors) remains responsible for all major decisions about the school and its future. The skills and experience of Trust-appointed governors will strengthen the whole governing body and make a contribution to the school’s ethos. Strong leadership gives schools a clear sense of purpose and direction and makes sure that resources and effort are focused on increasing opportunity and raising standards.
Freedom And Flexibility
Trust schools are foundation schools with foundations and, as such, benefit from the same freedoms as foundation schools. They will set their own admissions arrangements in accordance with the School Admissions Code, have control over their own land and buildings, and employ their own staff.
There is no single blueprint – schools can choose who they want to work with - and how - in order to support their particular needs and aspirations. For example, a school could use a Trust to:
Schools and partners have a lot of flexibility to design the Trust that is right for them, and this toolkit is designed to help you through the process.
Safeguards
There are safeguards to prevent unsuitable organizations from forming a Trust for a school, and to ensure that a Trust can be removed if there are serious problems.
The governing body remains responsible for all aspects of the conduct of the school (including the school’s budget and staff), and so responsibilities and accountabilities remain clear.