We would advise you to contact your regional schools commissioner's office to discuss your plans before starting your application.
You’ll need to have decided whether the school wants to:
- join an existing multi-academy trust
- form a new multi-academy trust with other schools
- form a single academy trust on their own
As well as more general information about the school, you’ll need details of:
-
its finances including:
- capital and revenue for last year, this year and next year
- any loans
- any leases
- projected pupil numbers for the next 3 years
-
its buildings including any:
- shared use
- grants
- PFI schemes
- building work
- who owns the land the school is on
- the consultation they ran on converting, or plans for one if they have not done it yet
- the bank account for the school or trust that we can pay the school’s support grant into
If you are forming a new trust you will also need details of the:
- proposed name of the trust (although this can be changed later)
- reasons for forming a new trust
- plans for growing the new trust
- plans for improving teaching
-
key people involved such as:
- members of the trust
- trustees
- the chair of the trust
- other schools forming the trust
You’ll also need evidence that the school has permission to convert including:
- a resolution passed by the school’s governing body
- a letter from the new trust the school is joining – or minutes of their board meeting
- a letter of consent from the diocese – if it’s a faith school
- a letter of consent from the foundation trust – if it’s a foundation school