For the embryonic multi-academy trust system to mature successfully, schools should be given a window of opportunity to leave their trust after five years, one chief executive has said.
Alison Critchley, chief executive of RSA Academies, called for the introduction of five-year fixed contracts between schools and multi-academy trusts in an article in Friday’s Tes magazine.
Critchley proposes that at the end of the initial five-year contract, both the school and the MAT would decide whether or not they wished to enter into a new agreement for a further five years.
‘A clear separation’
She also suggests that rebranding MATs as “academy partners” would ensure that there is a clear separation between the organisation supporting the schools and the schools themselves.
Critchley writes: “Creating fixed-term rather than permanent relationships would change the dynamic for all schools working as part of a MAT.
“This arrangement would take us closer to a truly school-led system, making it more likely that struggling schools would receive support and intervention without delay.”
This is an edited article from the 9 February edition of Tes. Subscribers can read the full article here. To subscribe, click here. This week’s Tes magazine is available in all good newsagents. To download the digital edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here.
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