Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service

Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham (Part 1I)

September 2017

Prayer

God our Father,

be with us as we embark upon this important plan for all our schools in the

Diocese of Nottingham.

Bless our creativity, our ideas and energy,

and guide us as we take these next steps along this path of renewal and

development.

Do not allow us to stumble or to stray from the way you wish us to follow.

When we are confused or uncertain, direct us.

When we are weary, encourage us.

When we feel burned out, renew us with the inspiration of your Holy Spirit.

We thank you for the gifts and talents within our family of schools;

help us to use them responsibly and for the benefit of others,

so that we may grow in our sense of communion and mission within the diocese.

May all we seek to do be for the sake of the children and young people within our

schools.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Contents 1. Introduction ...... 5 2. Acknowledgements ...... 6 3. Potential Conflict of Interest ...... 6 4. What has happened since the publication of Part I of the Plan for Catholic Schools? ...... 7 5. The Mission of our Catholic Schools...... 11 6. Religious Education and Collective Worship ...... 13 7. Lay Chaplaincy ...... 14 8. What are Effective Multi-Academy Trusts? ...... 16 9. Current School Groupings (Including Ofsted Grade and Pupil Numbers) ...... 18 10. Governance ...... 22 11. The Executive Team ...... 33 12. School Improvement ...... 38 13. Recruitment and Succession Planning ...... 41 14. Restructuring – Impact on Current Roles ...... 43 15. Finance and Procurement ...... 44 16. Implementation ...... 46 Appendix 1 – Suggestions for Names of Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies ...... 49 Appendix 2 – Plan for Catholic Schools – Part 1 (Summary) ...... 50 Appendix 3 – Lay Chaplaincy ...... 51 Appendix 4 – Summative Diocesan Data – Ofsted ...... 52 Appendix 5 – Summative Diocesan Data – Diocesan Canonical Inspection ...... 53 Appendix 6 – Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies - Governance Structure ...... 54 Appendix 7 – Members’ General Meeting ...... 55 Appendix 8 – The Local Governing Body (LGB) in Focus ...... 56 Appendix 9 – The Relationship between the Board of Directors and the LGB ...... 57 Appendix 10 – Trust Governor ...... 58 Appendix 11 – Sample Data Collection Calendar ...... 59 Appendix 12 – Vacancy Filling Strategy ...... 60 Appendix 13 – Draft MAT Implementation Team Project Lead Job Description ...... 62 Appendix 14 - New Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Implementation Steps ...... 63 Appendix 15 - Academy Conversion – Steps in the Process ...... 64 References ...... 65

Supplementary Materials Pack

D1 Articles of Association

D2 Scheme of Delegation

D3 Model Diocesan Protocol

D4 Role Outline and Code of Conduct for Directors

D5 Role of the Company Secretary

D6 Role Outline and Code of Conduct for Governors

D7 Job Description for Clerk to Governors

D8 Job Description and Person Specification for CEO

D9 Staffing Structures

D10 Job Description and Person Specification for Director of Performance and Standards

D11 Case Study: School Improvement Model (Flying High Trust)

D12 NRCDES Standards Committee: Terms of Reference

1. Introduction

This document follows on from Part 1 of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham which was published in January 2017. The main purpose of our diocesan plan is for us to collectively protect, secure and develop Catholic education in the Diocese of Nottingham so that each and every child and young person attending one of our schools receives the very best educational opportunities and life-fulfilling experiences within Catholic communities imbued with Gospel values and where Christ is at the centre.

Whilst the political climate in terms of education may have become slightly more settled recently, it is a fact that our schools will find it increasingly difficult to survive as single institutions in the future. Isolation and fragmentation compromise the Church’s mission in education. The formation of four large Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies will enable clear working relationships to be established between local Catholic schools to assist with school improvement, leadership recruitment and formation, governance and cooperation to strengthen Catholic mission. We are stronger when we work together for the common good with every school being an equally valued member of the diocesan family of schools and both a giver and receiver of support.

The main aims of this document are:

 To present final proposals on the revised governance structures for the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies;  To present initial documentation relating to the recruitment of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) for each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company;  To present information about next steps regarding implementation.

Up to this point, the majority of the work has been undertaken at diocesan-wide level however, from this term onwards, the intention is to move to a more ‘regional’ approach. For this reason, the appointment of the CEOs for each of the four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies has been brought forward so that the newly appointed CEO designates may begin, as far as possible, to lead the development and formation of the trust at a local level involving local communities.

A range of materials are included in the Supplementary Materials Pack, this has been sent as an electronic attachment to this document. All of these materials remain working drafts until they are approved by the Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service (NRCDES) board of directors.

Details have now been circulated about four regional meetings which will be held to discuss the next phase of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham. If you are not able to attend, we would welcome feedback via the [email protected] email address. This will be presented at the next board meeting of the NRCDES which is scheduled to take place on 10 October 2017. Following this meeting, further discussions will be held with the Regional Schools Commissioner. The consultation process for the conversion of our existing voluntary-aided schools will begin imminently.

Updates to this document will be produced and circulated periodically throughout the academic year.

2. Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the people who kindly agreed to be part of our four working groups which were established following the launch of Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham. We are also very grateful to their particular schools and Academy Trusts for agreeing to release them.

The NRCDES has been a member of the Catholic Education Service (CES) Academies Working Group since its establishment in April 2016. We are very grateful to the CES staff and a number of diocesan colleagues, particularly those from the Archdiocese of Westminster and the Diocese of Middlesbrough who have collaborated with us and have shared a number of pieces of their work with us.

We are also grateful to the officials at the Department for Education (DfE) with whom we communicate regularly.

3. Potential Conflict of Interest

When the four working groups were established, the issue of potential conflict of interest was discussed and addressed. Now that this particular phase of work has been completed, it is clear that the current working groups cannot continue to operate in a similar way and that, certainly as far as future discussions over the advertisement and recruitment of posts is concerned, for the time being, the NRCDES board of directors will need to establish a small working group to oversee this until boards of directors are constituted for each of the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies.

4. What has happened since the publication of Part I of the Plan for Catholic Schools?

Following our initial presentation for schools on 9 January 2017, the following events/actions have taken place:

Regional Meetings

20 January 2017 St Patrick’s, Leicester 27 January 2017 The Annunciation Parish Hall, New Mills 30 January 2017 The Diocesan Centre, Mackworth 30 January 2017 Sacred Heart Parish Hall, Loughborough 6 February 2017 Our Lady of Lincoln Parish Hall, Lincoln 6 February 2017 Good Shepherd Parish Hall, Nottingham 7 February 2017 Holy Trinity Community Centre, Newark 10 February 2017 St Norbert’s Parish Hall, Crowle

Meeting for Diocesan Clergy

3 February 2017 The Diocesan Centre, Mackworth

Working Group Meetings

24 January 2017 21 February 2017 Governance and Accountability 21 March 2017 17 May 2017 12 June 2017

23 January 2017 21 February 2017 School Improvement, Leadership and Standards 21 March 2017 17 May 2017 16 June 2017

25 January 2017 23 February 2017 HR / Staffing and Finance 22 March 2017 18 May 2017 14 June 2017

25 January 2017 23 February 2017 Central Services / Operational 22 March 2017 18 May 2017 14 June 2017

In addition to the working group meetings described above, the chairs of each of the groups met with the NRCDES team for ‘steering group’ meetings on the following dates:

 9 February 2017  7 March 2017  2 May 2017  1 June 2017  26 June 2017

The composition of each working group and an outline of the main areas of work was included in the February 2017 Director’s Update. A progress report for each of the working groups was published in the March 2017 and June 2017 Director’s Update. academies@ Email Address The academies@ email address was established shortly after the initial presentation for schools so that specific questions could be raised.

Letter for School Staff A brief letter for school staff to inform them of the publication of Part 1 of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham was issued with Email Bulletin No. 10 on 17 January 2017.

Open Forum The chairs of each of the working groups were available for face to face discussions at the Diocesan Centre on 7 March 2017.

Frequently Asked Questions Two versions of this document have been produced for directors, governors and school communities. Version 1 was issued with the March 2017 edition of the Director’s Update and Version 2 was issued with the June 2017 Director’s Update.

Vacancy Filling and Procurement Strategy Documents Information for schools on vacancy filling and procurement was issued with Email Bulletin No. 13 (28 February 2017). The vacancy filling strategy was also included as an attachment to the April 2017 edition of the Director’s Update.

Briefing Sessions for Voluntary-Aided Schools These sessions have begun to explain the academy conversion process to staff in our current voluntary-aided schools.

3 May 2017 The Diocesan Centre, Mackworth 15 May 2017 St John Fisher Academy, Wigston 16 May 2017 St Mary’s School, Grantham 28 May 2017 St Thomas More, Buxton

Briefing Sessions for Governors Whilst the majority of our sessions up to this point have been aimed specifically at headteachers, chairs of trusts and chairs of governors, these sessions have been for all governors with the aim of sharing how their role as governors will be more focused in our future governance arrangements.

22 June 2017 St Norbert’s, Crowle 27 June 2017 Our Lady and St Edward, Nottingham 4 July 2017 St Mary’s, Grantham 6 July 2017 De Lisle, Loughborough 10 July 2017 Christ the King, Leicester 13 July 2017 The Diocesan Centre, Mackworth 18 July 2017 St Margaret’s, Gamesley

Road Map Meetings These meetings have begun to address particular regional issues and how regional groups will begin to take on more responsibility for the development of the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies following publication of Part II of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham.

16 May 2017 Derbyshire 6 June 2017 Lincolnshire 23 June 2017 Nottinghamshire 6 July 2017 Nottinghamshire 10 July 2017 Leicestershire 10 July 2017 Derbyshire

Letter for Parents and Employees of Catholic Academy Trusts and Voluntary-Aided Schools Model letters were produced for parents and employees in all four regions of the Diocese of Nottingham and included text for academies and voluntary-aided schools. These were emailed to schools on 6 July 2017.

Request for Suggestions on Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company Names Requests were issued for suggestions of names for our new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. Each one will be under the patronage of a saint of the Church and will be named by Bishop Patrick and the NRCDES board of directors. The list of suggestions received can be found in Appendix 1. A survey for schools to indicate their preferred choice of name was launched in the September edition of the Director’s Update which was issued to schools on 11 September 2017.

Summary of Part 1 of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham This one page summary of Part 1 would be a helpful addition to school websites or to include in information about the school. It can be found in Appendix 2.

Pastoral Letter Bishop Patrick issued a pastoral letter to mark Education Sunday on 10 September 2017. In addition to informing parishioners about the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, he encouraged more parishioners to consider making an application to become a foundation governor / director. Finally, he asked those who are currently working in or leading a school outside of the Catholic sector to consider working in the Catholic education system.

5. The Mission of our Catholic Schools

The fundamental purpose of Catholic education is enshrined in Canon Law and must form the basis for all of our work.

Education must pay regard to the formation of the whole person, so that all may attain their eternal destiny and at the same time promote the common good of society. Children and young people are therefore to be cared for in such a way that their physical, moral and intellectual talents may develop in a harmonious manner, so that they may attain a greater sense of responsibility and the right use of freedom, and be formed to take an active part in social life. (Code of Canon Law – Canon §795)

The document Christ at the Centre states that the Church provides Catholic schools to:

 Assist in the mission of making Christ known to all people  Assist parents who are the primary educators of their children, in the education and religious formation of their children  Be at the service of the local Church, the diocese, the parish and the Christian home  Be of service to society

Catholic education is inspired by the vision of life seen as a whole, embracing the fullness of human experience and its expression in the life of the individual, in the family, in the local community and in society at large.

Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham also made reference to the document entitled Schools of Discipleship, produced by the Diocese of Leeds in 2008 which outlines the core principles of Catholic education. For us, these principles must guide our every thought and action.

This year will require an enormous amount of work on preparing for the structural changes which are required in order to establish our four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies and this cannot be avoided. We must, however, also ensure that the Catholic mission of our four trusts plays an equally important part from the very outset. For this reason, we intend to work in collaboration with the newly appointed CEO designates and others on a number of events which will bring each of the four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust communities together to focus on the vision and Catholic mission for their new trust in readiness for September 2018. It is proposed that the season of Lent will be an opportune time to begin this process.

Further Actions:

Ref Action Complete by CM1 Arrange Catholic vision and mission events for the four Catholic Multi- 31 January 2018 Academy Trust communities to commence in Lent 2018. CM2 Develop theme of Catholic ethos at Bishop’s Day 2018 30 June 2018

6. Religious Education and Collective Worship

The Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company is responsible for agreeing the curriculum for each school within its trusteeship, in particular, it will ensure that all schools conform to the Catholic Bishops’ of England and Wales Religious Education Curriculum Directory (published in 2013).

Religious Education is a core subject in Catholic schools and an academic discipline with rigour comparable to other subjects. It is one of the areas which contributes to the distinctive nature of the Catholic school.

The funding agreement for each Catholic academy requires it to provide Religious Education in accordance with the teachings, doctrines and discipline of the Catholic Church. This is sometimes referred to as denominational Religious Education. Schools are responsible for ensuring that their syllabus for Religious Education conforms to the Religious Education Curriculum Directory. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales also requires all Catholic schools to give 10% of taught curriculum time to Religious Education in Key Stages 1 – 4 and 5% for non-examination Religious Education for 16 – 19 year old students.

The Bishop of Nottingham has the right under Canon Law to inspect any Catholic school in his diocese at any time. The funding agreement also requires all Catholic academies to arrange for the inspection of denominational Religious Education and the content of Collective Worship under Section 48 of the 2005 Education Act. The Catholic Bishops of England and Wales through the office of the National Board of Religious Inspectors and Advisers (NBRIA) require that Catholic schools are inspected by inspectors appointed by the local Ordinary (the diocesan bishop) who have the competency to inspect denominational Religious Education, the content of Collective Worship and can report to the Ordinary on the Catholic Life of the school. The Bishop of Nottingham has delegated this duty to the NRCDES which appoints and trains inspectors to carry out these inspections. The inspection process is rigorous and provides a clear independent evaluation of a school’s strengths, of its Catholic Life, Religious Education and Collective Worship. In the Diocese of Nottingham, these inspections are referred to as diocesan canonical inspections. The NRCDES operates a schedule for inspections in accordance with its inspection policy (available from the NRCDES).

The Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company is also responsible for ensuring that the schools within its trusteeship meet the statutory requirements regarding Collective Worship. The funding agreement states that religious worship is in accordance with the rites, practices, discipline and liturgical norms of the Catholic Church.

7. Lay Chaplaincy

The Catholic Life of the Multi-Academy Trust Company is of primary importance and should be clearly evident in everything that is undertaken both at trust and individual school level. Lay chaplaincy is central to the development of the Catholic Life of the Multi-Academy Trust Company and is a crucial vehicle for linking home, school and parishes. It is also central to effective transition from the primary to the secondary phase. As such, should be represented at the level of the board of directors.

The current picture of lay chaplaincy in our schools is very mixed. A majority of our secondary schools employ a lay chaplain. In some cases, this role is shared between the secondary school and the feeder primary schools. A smaller number of primary schools have lay chaplaincy provision. Sometimes, this role is undertaken by staff who are released from other duties for a period of time each week.

The NRCDES will set each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company the aspirational target of ensuring that each school within the Academy Trust has access to lay chaplaincy on a weekly basis. The present arrangement of lay chaplains working across a secondary school and the feeder primary schools could perhaps be replicated in regional clusters or ‘hubs’ within each of the trusts. In order to provide this, it is suggested that each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust seeks to appoint a ‘lead lay chaplain’. This post would bring with it the responsibility of coordinating and developing the provision of lay chaplaincy within the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust. The post would involve:

 Providing or facilitating ongoing professional development for lay chaplains in collaboration with both the NRCDES and the Nottingham Diocesan Youth Service  Arranging ‘trust’ level spirituality events and training  Supporting lay chaplains with preparation for the ‘Catholic Life’ and ‘Collective Worship’ elements of diocesan canonical inspection  Quality assuring the work of lay chaplains through a clear appraisal process to ensure that there is a consistency in provision across the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust  Developing future lay chaplains through the use of ‘volunteer’ programmes and supporting the interview and induction process for new lay chaplains

The lead lay chaplain could either be released from her/his present role for one or two days per week or would receive an additional allowance as part of their salary. It is important however, that the lead lay chaplain continues to carry out the ministry of a lay chaplain for some part of their week rather than being removed from it completely. The lead lay chaplain would report directly to the CEO and the Executive Team of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and would also have input at meetings of the board of directors. (Please see Appendix 3).

Further Actions:

Ref Action Complete by: LC1 Meet with current lay chaplains’ group and work on a draft role description 31 January 2018 and alternative models for the lead lay chaplain. LC2 Engage with Diocesan Youth Service to discuss provision of additional CPD 31 January 2018 opportunities for lay chaplains.

8. What are Effective Multi-Academy Trusts?

Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham drew upon the ‘Characteristics of successful multi-academy trusts’ document produced by Sir David Carter. Since then, additional commentary on the perceived characteristics (from a secular perspective) of a successful MAT have been produced.

Our preference is for academies to be part of a strong MAT as there is increasing evidence that the benefits of academy status are maximised through this form of collaboration with clear accountability.

When schools are converting to academy status or joining an existing MAT, the RSC will want to be assured that the governance and leadership of the MAT is clear and robust and the MAT has the capacity to drive improvement across all schools within it. (p.9) (Regional Schools Commissioners’ Decision Making Framework)

When the House of Commons Education Select Committee asked for the view of Lord Nash for his views on what distinguishes the best performing trusts from others, this was his response:

Successful multi-academy trusts are run by tough people who put children first. They have a sense of pace and urgency. They have strong governance and financial control. They are well organised, with good geographic focus, with a good balance between strong and weak schools, clear reporting lines and good performance management. Good financial control and high quality finance people to ensure that much more money is available in the classroom. They have well developed CPD programmes, good leadership development structures; they identify their rising stars and develop their careers. They have very good staff retention…They engage in wider system discussions to share good practice. They have high expectations. They believe in stretching all pupils. They understand education is not just about exams; it is about developing children’s resilience and their mental toughness. They have good connections with the world of work. They have behaviour management strategies that are clear, effective, consistently applied and easily understood by staff and pupils and they have an absolutely clear central vision and ethos. (p.8) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee)

The House of Commons Education Committee produced their own view on the characteristics shared by successful MATs:

 Recognition of the crucial role played by teaching staff  Regional structures which allow schools to share expertise and resources  Mechanisms for tangible accountability at all levels  Robust financial controls  A shared vision for school improvement across all schools within the trust  A commitment to improving performance and attainment (p.8) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee)

Whilst, for us, Catholic education is radically different in approach to that outlined by Lord Nash, we cannot necessarily argue with many of the points he makes regarding an insistence on high expectations and an education which challenges all pupils so that they achieve their very best. We too are committed to providing an outstanding all-round Catholic education. This is made clear in Canon Law.

Directors of Catholic schools are to take care under the watchfulness of the local ordinary that the instruction which is given in them is at least as academically distinguished as that in the other schools of the area. (Code of Canon Law – 806 §2)

We certainly do not regard our schools as either ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ but rather as Christ-centred communities which will all have something to offer and to share. For some however, they may be undergoing a period of significant challenge. In this case, it is our duty to offer support and encouragement to them so that they too can achieve our aim of offering outstanding all-round Catholic education to every child and young person attending a Catholic school in the Diocese of Nottingham. As Catholic educators, our vision for education is far broader than the narrow ‘standards-led’ agenda which focuses on accountability measures, league tables and so on. Of course, we cannot choose to ignore these; neither however must they be the sole focus. Catholic education seeks to nurture all aspects of our children’s personalities whilst also helping them each day to develop a loving, life-long relationship with God our Father.

In your Catholic schools there is always a bigger picture over and above the individual subjects you study, the different skills you learn. All the work you do is placed in the context of growing in friendship with God and all that flows from that friendship. So you learn not just to be good students but good citizens, good people…A good school provides a rounded education for the whole person. And a good Catholic school, over and above this, should help all its students to become saints. (Pope Benedict XVI – Address to Pupils, Twickenham - 17 September 2010)

We continue to believe that an education which offers our children and young people the widest possible range of opportunities and experiences is our goal. By establishing our four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies and developing even more meaningful, effective collaboration, these opportunities particularly in the areas of spirituality, music, sports and the arts could be more easily achieved and more widely distributed thereby promoting a greater sense of happiness and well-being; outcomes which should be seen as being just as important and valuable as academic success.

9. Current School Groupings (Including Ofsted Grade and Pupil Numbers)

Key: Primary School (Academy) Secondary School (Academy) Sponsored Academy Voluntary-Aided School

The notional ‘per pupil’ funding figure of £4,530 has been used throughout the following information.

Derbyshire/Staffordshire (Stockport)

School Ofsted No. Schools Pupils Date Grade Primary 20 4,556 English Martyrs’, Long Eaton 29.04.08 1 292 Secondary 5 3,590 The Priory, Eastwood 21.10.14 2 217 25 8,146 St Joseph’s, Matlock 03.06.15 4 175 St John Houghton, Ilkeston 01.03.17 3 624

St George’s, Derby 15.03.13 2 350 St Benedict, Derby 23.11.16 4 1,368

St Thomas’, Ilkeston 22.05.13 2 247

St Alban’s, Derby 25.09.13 2 344 St Joseph’s, Derby 26.05.16 2 350 St Mary’s, Derby 13.06.17 2 370

Christ the King, Alfreton 03.06.15 2 215 St Elizabeth’s, Belper 14.10.14 1 215

Holy Rosary, Burton 21.09.11 1 260 Blessed Robert Sutton, Burton 18.10.16 3 725

St John Fisher, Derby 13.05.14 2 190 St Edward’s, Swadlincote 12.05.15 4 206

St Anne’s, Buxton 04.07.17 3 300 St Margaret’s, Gamesley 28.09.16 2 31 All Saints’, Glossop 28.09.16 2 82 St Mary’s, Glossop 06.03.14 2 184 St Charles’, Hadfield 01.05.14 2 205 St Mary’s, New Mills 24.09.13 2 112 St Thomas More, Buxton 14.03.17 2 409

St Mary’s, Marple Bridge 26.02.09 1 211

St Philip Howard, Glossop 04.11.14 4 464

Estimated Total Pupils 8,146 Estimated Total Income £36,901,380 Estimated 5% Top Slice £1,845,069

Ofsted Judgement Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate Primary 4 13 1 2 Secondary 0 1 2 2

Leicestershire

School Ofsted No. Schools Pupils Date Grade Primary 18 4,310 Sacred Heart, Leicester 05.11.14 2 458 Secondary 4 3,951 St Joseph’s, Leicester 02.07.14 2 258 22 8,261 St Thomas More, Leicester 30.10.08 1 280 St Joseph’s, Market Harborough 01.03.16 2 201 St John Fisher, Wigston 21.06.16 2 210

Christ the King, Leicester 13.11.14 1 411 Holy Cross, Leicester 19.05.16 3 202 St Patrick’s, Leicester 14.01.15 2 216

English Martyrs’, Leicester 06.06.17 2 1,064 St Paul’s, Leicester 15.12.15 3 1,070

St Peter’s Hinckley 16.05.13 2 207 St Martin’s, Stoke Golding 12.02.15 2 543

St Peter’s, Earl Shilton 24.11.16 2 208

Bishop Ellis, Leicester 31.01.17 2 349 St Francis, Melton Mowbray 17.05.17 2 251 St Charles’, Measham 11.09.13 2 121

St Clare’s, Coalville 18.04.13 2 206 Sacred Heart, Loughborough 18.05.16 2 200 St Mary’s, Loughborough 12.01.17 2 193 St Winefride’s, Shepshed 04.05.16 2 172 Holy Cross, Whitwick 04.04.16 2 167 De Lisle, Loughborough 27.06.17 2 1,274

Estimated Total Pupils 8,261 Estimated Total Income £37,422,330 Estimated 5% Top Slice £1,871,117

Ofsted Judgement Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate Primary 2 15 1 0 Secondary 0 3 1 0

Lincolnshire

School Ofsted No. Schools Pupils Date Grade Primary 14 3,051 St Augustine Webster, S’thorpe 12.07.16 2 455 Secondary 2 1,223 St Bernadette’s, Scunthorpe 05.03.13 1 331 Total 16 4,274 St Norbert’s, Crowle 25.02.15 2 120 St Joseph’s, Cleethorpes 05.06.13 2 226 St Mary’s, Grimsby 14.10.15 3 230 St Mary’s, Brigg 11.05.17 2 186 St Bede’s, Scunthorpe 19.05.16 2 680

English Martyrs’, Oakham 14.06.16 2 117 St Augustine’s, Stamford 26.02.15 2 128 Our Lady of Lincoln, Lincoln 06.07.16 2 206 St Hugh’s, Lincoln 26.02.13 1 279 Our Lady of GC, Sleaford 03.03.16 2 145 St Peter & St Paul, Lincoln 13.06.17 2 543

St Mary’s, Boston 21.02.17 2 209 St Mary’s, Grantham 12.01.17 2 215 St Norbert’s, Spalding 08.07.15 1 204

Estimated Total Pupils 4,274 Estimated Total Income £19,361,220 Estimated 5% Top Slice £968,061

Ofsted Judgement Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate Primary 3 10 1 0 Secondary 0 2 0 0

Additional Information:

Holy Family, Cleethorpes was re-brokered to the Wellspring Academy Trust on 1 September 2017 and is now no longer a Catholic school; it has been renamed – the Beacon Academy.

Nottinghamshire

School Ofsted No. Schools Pupils Date Grade Primary 17 4,675 Bl Robert Widmerpool, Clifton 13.12.07 1 268 Secondary 4 4,118 Our Lady & St Edward’s, Nott’m 24.05.17 2 213 Total 21 8,793 St Patrick’s, Wilford 04.05.16 2 229 St Edmund Campion, WB 17.06.15 2 400 The Becket, WB 28.03.17 2 1,089

St Teresa’s, Aspley 02.02.16 1 423 Our Lady of PS, Bulwell 10.03.16 2 211 St Mary’s, Hyson Green 27.03.07 1 253 The Trinity, Nottingham 22.10.08 1 1,102

St Augustine’s, Nottingham 21.05.14 2 311

Holy Cross, Hucknall 11.11.12 2 226 Good Shepherd, Arnold 07.10.14 2 405 Sacred Heart, Carlton 14.11.08 1 209 St Margaret Clitherow, B’wood 22.11.12 2 207 Christ the King, Arnold 24.09.14 2 863

Holy Trinity, Newark 28.02.17 2 267 St Patrick’s, Mansfield 15.03.17 2 209 St Joseph’s, Langwith Junction 14.11.12 2 190 St Joseph’s, New Ollerton 17.10.12 2 195 St Philip Neri, Mansfield 02.10.12 2 459 All Saints’, Mansfield 17.01.17 2 1,064

Estimated Total Pupils 8,793 Estimated Total Income £39,832,290 Estimated 5% Top Slice £1,991,615

Ofsted Judgement Outstanding Good Requires Improvement Inadequate Primary 4 13 0 0 Secondary 1 3 0 0

Overview – the four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies

(Derbyshire/Staffs) (Leicestershire) (Lincolnshire) (Nottinghamshire) Primary 20 4,556 18 4,310 14 3,051 17 4,675 Secondary 5 3,590 4 3,951 2 1,223 4 4,118 Total 25 8,146 22 8,261 16 4,274 21 8,793

Approximate £36,901,380 £37,422,330 £19,361,220 £39,832,290 Income Approximate £1,845,069 £1,871,117 £968,061 £1,991,615 Top Slice

Summative diocesan data for Ofsted inspections can be found in Appendix 4.

Summative diocesan data for diocesan canonical inspections can be found in Appendix 5.

10. Governance

This section will outline the approach for governance of the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies taking into account expectations from both the CES and the DfE. However, prior to that, it is important to make clear the role of the Bishop of Nottingham and the NRCDES. The information below has been produced by the CES.

10.1 Responsibilities of the Diocesan Bishop and the Diocesan Education Service

Canon Law provides that each diocesan bishop has strategic responsibility to commission sufficient school places to meet the needs of baptised Catholic children resident in his area. A Catholic school is one which is recognised as such by the diocesan bishop. Canon 803 provides the definition of a Catholic school. Canon 803§1 provides that a school is Catholic if:

(a) It is controlled1 by a diocese or religious order; or

(b) It is acknowledged in a written document as Catholic by the diocesan bishop.

All Catholic schools are subject to the jurisdiction of the diocesan bishop, even those that are not in diocesan trusteeship. Canon 806§1 states:

The diocesan bishop has the right to watch over and inspect Catholic schools in his territory…and has the right to issue directives concerning the general inspection of Catholic schools…those who are in charge of Catholic schools are to ensure, under the supervision of the local Ordinary2, that the formation given in them, including its academic standards, are at least as outstanding as that in other schools in the area.

In respect of his schools, which includes academies, the bishop has the legal right to appoint (and remove) an overall majority of directors and governors, who are known as foundation directors and foundation governors. In addition to all the other legal responsibilities of the academy trust company (for academies) and the governing body (for voluntary aided schools), the law recognises that foundation directors/governors are appointed specifically to ensure:

 That the Catholic character of the school is preserved;  That the school is conducted in accordance with its trust deed; and  That the religious education curriculum is in accordance with the bishop’s policy for his diocese, based on the Bishops’ Conference Curriculum Directory.

The diocesan bishop, acting through his Diocesan Schools’ Commissioner, is responsible for:

 The provision and future development of excellent Catholic education throughout the diocese

1 The ‘control’ specified in canon 803 is normally established where the diocese or religious order owns the school and appoints the governing body (or at least a majority of it).

2 ‘Ordinary’ includes the diocesan bishop and those, such as Vicars General and Episcopal Vicars, exercising Ordinary jurisdiction on his behalf as well as to describe the relevant Religious Superior in respect of religious order schools, and this also includes their respective representative officers. 22

 The oversight of high educational standards, progress and outcomes in all diocesan schools  The appointment, development and training of foundation directors and governors and their removal  The inspection of religious life of schools and RE (section 48/diocesan canonical inspections)  The development of Catholic teachers and leaders (and all appointments should be made in accordance with diocesan protocol)  The oversight of school buildings/estate and capital projects  Planning of school place provision  Engaging with the Regional Schools Commissioner and Ofsted  Maintaining links with the Catholic Education Service and the government

10.2 Effective Governance: Understanding Roles and Responsibilities

The following is taken from ‘Multi-Academy Trusts – Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth’.

Effective governance is crucial to MAT success. It provides confident, strategic leadership to MATs and creates robust accountability, oversight and assurance for their educational and financial performance. The key elements of effective governance are set out in the Governance Handbook and can be summarised as:

 Strategic leadership that sets out and champions vision, ethos and strategy  Accountability that drives up educational standards and financial performance and effectively manages risk  People with the right skills, experience, qualities and capacity  Structures which reinforce clearly defined roles and responsibilities  Compliance with statutory and contractual requirements  Evaluation to monitor and improve the quality and impact of governance

The board of trustees [directors] manages the business of the academy trust and may exercise all the powers of the academy trust. Their focus should be on the three core functions of governance:

 Ensuring clarity of vision, ethos and strategic direction  Holding executive leaders to account for the educational performance of the organisation and its pupils and the performance management of staff  Overseeing the financial performance of the organisation and making sure its money is well spent

As charitable companies limited by guarantee, every academy trust has members who have a range of powers, including to sign and amend the articles, appoint and remove trustees [directors] and receive the annual accounts. Trusts must have at least three members but the Department’s strong preference wherever possible is for trusts to have at least five to cover for any absence and enable decision making without unanimity. The Department’s strong preference is for at least a majority of

23 members to be independent of the board of trustees [directors] to enable them to exercise their powers more objectively.

Governance functions can be delegated by the board to local governing bodies or other committees overseeing one or a cluster of schools – delegations must be set out and published in a clear scheme of delegation. Regardless of the extent of the delegation, the trust remains accountable for the performance of all its schools to the Secretary of State.

Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham stated much of what is above already. It also made the point that the system of governance within a trust is fundamentally different to the voluntary-aided model and that simply placing the voluntary-aided model of governance into a trust context would not be helpful.

Governance structures are [to be] designed for the context of the organisation and the schools being governed, not as a legacy of arrangements that existed in schools before they joined the trust. (p.20) (Multi-Academy Trusts – Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth)

As the accountable body, the board is the key decision maker […] the board as a corporate entity remains accountable and responsible for all decisions made. (p.15) (Governance Handbook)

It is vital that the roles and responsibilities of each tier of governance, but most specifically the ultimate accountability of the board within a trust context, are carefully explained and understood. This should be both through a clear scheme of delegation and, even more importantly, extensive training. The latter will form an important part of the NRCDES’s work over the coming months and particularly during the summer and autumn terms of 2018.

In its report on multi-academy trusts published in February 2017, the House of Commons Education Committee recognised that the move to a MAT model represents a ‘significant shift in school governance’ and that this can result in a lack of clarity over accountability.

Joining a MAT means there is a shift in accountability away from local governing boards to a central trustee board who hold the decision making responsibilities. (p.13) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee)

While we welcome the Government’s recent document which set out examples of best practice in governance, there is still significant confusion about the move to boards of trustees [directors] being the accountable bodies for MATs. (p.14) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee)

The report also cites evidence received from the National Governance Association (NGA) (formerly the National Governors’ Association) on a similar point.

The NGA warned that there can be a power struggle between trust boards and local governing boards where changes have not been well communicated. (p.14) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee) 24

Over these past months, the Governance and Accountability Working Group has been very mindful of these points and has sought to ensure that the new governance structures for our Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies define clearly the role of each tier of governance. It is also recognised fully that, in addition to documentation, this must be further reinforced by comprehensive training and periodic review of our governance arrangements. Work is currently ongoing on presenting a range of scenarios to be ‘road-tested’ against our proposed governance arrangements. The results of this will be shared with schools.

10.3 Governance in the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies

As directors of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust are bound by both charity and company law, the terms, ‘trustees’ and ‘directors’ are often used interchangeably. The NRCDES uses the term ‘director’ as it avoids the possible confusion caused when referring to the diocesan trustees. Employees of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company will be referred to as executive directors or members of the executive team.

The most recent set of Articles of Association (Model 3) which have been approved for use in Catholic Schools by the Department for Education and the Catholic Education Service (February 2015) have been adapted for use in the Diocese of Nottingham. This is Document 1 in the Supplementary Materials Pack. All Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies in the Diocese of Nottingham will use the same set of Articles of Association.

The governance structure below will be presented to Bishop Patrick McKinney and the NRCDES board of directors for approval in October 2017 prior to being presented to the Regional Schools Commissioner for final approval. It can also be found in Appendix 6.

The Scheme of Delegation outlines the role, responsibilities and accountability of each tier of governance; the latest draft is Document 2 in the Supplementary Materials Pack. The Scheme of Delegation is significantly different in presentation to the model proposed by the CES and is based on a range of models produced by the NGA. The document will be further developed to include more explanatory materials relating to the key responsibilities of the headteacher, the local governing body, the executive team, the directors and the members on the following areas:

 Governance  Finance  Contracts  Curriculum and standards  Special educational needs  Safeguarding  Behaviour  Admissions  Staffing  Information management and communication  Health and safety, risk and estates

In addition to this, the CES has produced a Model Diocesan Protocol which outlines the relationship between each individual academy, the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and the diocese – it is Document 3 in the Supplementary Materials Pack.

Members

The Bishop of Nottingham is the founding member of all of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies in the Diocese of Nottingham and will appoint a number of additional members. The members of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company are the ‘guardians of the governance of the trust’. They safeguard the bishop’s interests and as such, have a different status to directors. They are the signatories to the Memorandum of Association and agree the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company’s Articles of Association. Members are also responsible for approving any amendments made to the Articles of Association. The members appoint the directors to ensure that the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company’s charitable objects are carried out and remove directors if they fail to fulfil their responsibilities. The board of directors submits an annual report on the performance of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company to the members.

The role of members in our current trusts is unclear and must be developed in our new structures. In order to ensure a greater level of accountability between the members and directors, there will be an annual meeting between the members and each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company facilitated by the NRCDES which, effectively, will act as an executive function for the members. The format for this meeting can be found in Appendix 7. There will also be a written agreement outlining the duties of the additional members and their accountability towards the Bishop of Nottingham.

Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham stated that there would be five members in total and that these would be the Bishop of Nottingham along with four senior members of the clergy. Following feedback, this has now been changed. Subject to final approval from Bishop Patrick and the NRCDES board of directors in October 2017, there will be between five and nine members in total and the majority of these will be lay people rather than clergy; this will promote a greater sense of diversity and equality. Some of the members will also act as directors on the board for each of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies, (one member will sit on the board of directors for each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company).

Directors

The Catholic Multi-Academy Trust is a charitable company and so directors are both charity trustees (within the terms of section 177(1) of the Charities Act 2011) and company directors. The directors are responsible for the general control and management of the administration of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company, and in accordance with the provisions set out in the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association and its funding agreement, the directors are legally responsible and accountable for all statutory functions, for the performance of all academies within the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and must approve a written scheme of delegation of financial and other powers that maintain robust internal control arrangements.

The board of directors will establish the following committees:

 Standards  Finance and Estates  HR and Staffing  Pay and Performance Management  Audit and Risk

The areas of Catholic Life and safeguarding are retained as areas for the entire board and are therefore not delegated to any particular committee.

Our new governance structures will move from a representational model to one which uses a more skills based approach but which also retains and further develops engagement with local parish communities. The importance of this recruitment process and a commitment to ongoing training and development are emphasised throughout the documentation on governance.

The skills required for governance of the trust are identified explicitly and set out in a role specification that informs the recruitment and appointment of people to the board and any LGBs… (p.20)

Trustees [directors] take their own professional development seriously. They are inducted properly when they are new to the board and continue to undertake training or other development activity as necessary to continue to develop their skills. (p.20) (Multi-Academy Trusts – Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth)

Bishop Patrick issued a pastoral letter to coincide with Education Sunday on Sunday 10 September this year. In this letter, Bishop Patrick informed parishioners about the diocesan plan and also

27 encouraged more parishioners to consider the role of both a foundation director and a foundation governor. Application packs (which will include a person specification) for the role of foundation director in the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies will be produced by the end of September; they will be circulated to all of our current trusts, our voluntary-aided schools and parishes within the Diocese of Nottingham. Appointments will be made in two tranches – October 2017 and March 2018. In order to support this recruitment process and to facilitate ongoing training and development, links will be made with the following organisations:

 Academy Ambassadors  National Governance Association (NGA)  National Coordinators of Governor Services (NCOGS)  Governors for Schools and Colleges (SGOSS)

The recently published ‘Competency Framework for Governance’ promotes a framework which is made up of 16 competencies grouped under the six features of effective governance which are set out in the ‘Governance Handbook’.

In addition to fulfilling their duties in line with the seven principles of public life (the Nolan principles), all those involved in governance should also be:

 Committed 28

 Confident  Curious  Challenging  Collaborative  Critical  Creative

At this stage, it is envisaged that the size of the board of directors for each Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Company will be between 10 and 12. There will be a requirement that a priest/religious should be a director on each board and it may also co-opt others with specialist skills/knowledge from time to time; these would have no voting rights. Experience in the following areas will be requested:

 Catholic education  Education (early years, primary, secondary, further and higher)  Safeguarding  Charity law and governance  Trusteeship or management of a complex organisation with multiple sites  Financial expertise  Data analysis and/or research expertise  Equal opportunities and diversity  Management of change  Monitoring and evaluating performance in the commercial and/or not for profit sectors  Recruitment and human resources expertise, including employment legislation  Business development experience/expertise  Strategic planning  Property and estate management  Marketing, media and PR  Risk management experience/expertise  ICT strategy

The latest draft of the Outline of Role and Code of Conduct for Directors in a Multi-Academy Trust Company is Document 4 in the Supplementary Materials Pack.

The board of directors would also be supported by a company secretary. An outline for the Role of the Company Secretary can be found in the Supplementary Materials Pack as Document 5. In brief, the company secretary will:

 Be responsible for ensuring that the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company complies with relevant legislation and regulations.  Establish procedures for the sound governance of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and will advise the board of directors on developments in governance issues.  Ensure that meetings of the board of directors and its committees (including local governing bodies) run efficiently and effectively, are properly recorded and that members, directors and local governing bodies receive appropriate support to fulfil their legal duties.

Governors

Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham made clear that the role of the local governing body continues to be seen as a ‘vital and fundamental part of our governance arrangements’. We are all acutely aware of the hugely important role played in our Catholic schools by generations of foundation governors. From the very beginning, the first duty of foundation governors has been to act on behalf of the diocesan bishop in ensuring that the Catholic character of the school is preserved and developed. This will continue to be the case. In addition to this, governors will be charged with monitoring the school’s standards (including children’s ‘wider outcomes’), being a link between the local/parish community and the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company’s board of directors, overseeing behaviour and attendance matters including dealing with pupil disciplinary matters, managing admissions and complaints from parents. Governors will also be asked to support the school on a range of staffing matters however, the appointment of senior leaders and other ‘reserved posts’ will be matters for the Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Company with some representation from the local governing body.

The debate needs to be about accountability and not power… (13) (Written Evidence to the Education Committee – National Governors’ Association – May 2016)

Our core purpose or mission in service to our Catholic schools should never be seen as one of ‘power’ but rather of having absolute clarity over our particular roles and responsibilities and of knowing precisely for what and to whom we are accountable.

The local governing body’s key function of acting as a ‘monitoring body’ remains unchanged. What has changed though is the fact that the local governing body will be able to carry out this role in a more effective and efficient way, freed from the burden of financial management and many of the other statutory responsibilities which can take up such a great proportion of a local governing body’s time. In addition to this, the duplication in role between foundation directors and foundation governors will cease. Under the new arrangements, the board of directors is asked to, ‘govern in the interests of all pupils and foster a common ethos and vision across the whole MAT’3 whereas, the local governing body exists to oversee and monitor one particular school in the trust.

The diagram below attempts to illustrate the main areas of focus for the local governing body and how this work will be spread across the academic year. A larger version of this can be found in Appendix 8. The board of directors for each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company will, as a matter of course, carry out a risk analysis on all of the schools within the trust and where necessary, the scheme of delegation for a school facing challenging circumstances or which may require further support may be amended for a set period of time. Based on the board’s risk analysis and additional specific factors relating to each school, the headteacher, supported by members of the executive team will prepare the school development plan which will highlight the school’s main priority areas and which will form the basis of the local governing body’s monitoring role. Meetings of the local governing body will take place according to a schedule which is set in advance by the board of directors so that the board can be informed of any local issues in a timely manner. In order to provide greater consistency, template agendas and minuting formats will also

3 Governance Handbook, p.48 30 be provided through a more coordinated approach to clerking which will be overseen by the Company Secretary for each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company. Some sample documents are currently being prepared in order to illustrate this further.

This is further developed in the diagram which can be found in Appendix 9 which illustrates the relationship between the local governing body and the board of directors of the Catholic Multi- Academy Trust.

The Scheme of Delegation (Document 2) provides greater detail about both the composition of the local governing body and its main responsibilities. It was felt to be extremely important to retain the ‘parent voice’ at the local level rather than on the board of directors. There will therefore be two parent governors on each local governing body with a minimum number of four foundation governors bringing the total to a minimum of six governors per local governing body. Other than this, it is proposed that there will be no additional category of governor, however, there will be flexibility for schools to use the professional knowledge and skills of a range of others in the community such as members of staff. These may be appointed as ‘associate governors’ but will have no voting rights. Again, this is a departure from our current arrangements but it reinforces the local governing body’s role of holding the school’s leaders to account. Additionally, there are a number of situations where staff governors are not able to play a full part due to their conflict of interest. As an associate governor, a number of staff could have the opportunity to engage with the local governing body depending on their area of expertise and the work of the local governing body at the time.

We are aware that, in addition to the recruitment of foundation directors, we need also to consider the recruitment of foundation governors as a large number of our existing foundation governors have come to the end of their third term of office. New recruitment materials for this will also be produced which will make clear that a willingness to support the school and to undertake training are considered to be of equal importance to a particular professional background or expertise.

The Role Outline and Code of Conduct for Governors in a Multi-Academy Trust Company is Document 6 in the Supplementary Materials Pack.

The work of the local governing body will continue to be supported by a clerk to governors. A job description for this role is Document 7 in the Supplementary Materials Pack.

For the moment, the term ‘local governing body’ has been retained. It was pointed out in Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, that the National Governance Association regard it as ‘unhelpful’. Some possible alternatives are being considered:

 Local Academy Committee  Local Academy Council  Academy Forum

A final decision will be made by the NRCDES board of directors in October 2017. In all cases, it is our intention to retain the title ‘foundation governor’ as this represents a valuable and important relationship between governors and the diocesan bishop.

The work of both the board of directors and local governing bodies will also be supported through the use of ‘Trust Governor’, this package is already in use by some of our current trusts. The Governance and Accountability working group looked at a range of packages and felt this to be the most helpful. A very favourable rate has been negotiated and has been costed into our financial models. For further details, please see Appendix 10.

Further Actions:

Ref Action Complete by G1 Prepare and distribute application pack for foundation director appointments 30 September 2017 G2 Appoint members of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies 31 October 2017 G3 Recruit foundation directors (tranche 1) 31 October 2017 G4 Add ‘key responsibilities’ section to Scheme of Delegation 31 October 2017

G5 Share governance scenarios which have been road-tested against new governance 30 November 2017 arrangements G6 Share sample local governing body agenda/minute templates 30 November 2017 G7 Devise comprehensive training packages for both foundation directors and 31 March 2018 foundation governors G8 Prepare and distribute foundation governor recruitment materials 30 April 2018 G9 Recruit additional foundation governors (where required) 31 May 2018

11. The Executive Team

This section will outline some of the posts within the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company which will form the ‘executive team’. It begins with the Chief Executive Officer.

11.1 The Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

It is now clear that each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company must have a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

An academy trust has contractual requirements through its funding agreement which distinguish its financial management arrangements from those of maintained schools, meaning that it must appoint a senior executive leader (SEL) (who may be known as the principal in a single academy trust, or CEO in a MAT, or equivalent) as the accounting officer (AO) for the trust.

The SEL must be the head of the line management executive chain and be held accountable by the board of trustees [directors] for the performance of the whole trust.

The SEL role must not rotate and must not be misinterpreted as a requirement for a ‘lead school’.

The appointment of a SEL as AO does not remove the responsibility of the board of trustees [directors] for the proper conduct and financial operation of the trust. (p.81) (Governance Handbook)

There continues to be some debate about the use of the title, ‘CEO’. At present, the following titles are used:

 The DfE and the CES refer to the term ‘Senior Executive Leader’  The Diocese of Westminster has used the term, ‘Catholic Executive Officer’

For the moment, the title CEO will continue to be used within this document. It is clear that whilst the title may be used in a number of MATs, the precise nature of the role will vary from one organisation to the other, often depending on the overall size and composition of the central team. In some MATs, it will also be the case that the nature of the role of CEO will evolve as a MAT expands over time. The situation for us is slightly different in that none of our present MATs has a CEO and we are merging a number of current trusts together and adding other schools all in a relatively short period of time. In Part I of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, it was made clear that in addition to all of the other responsibilities which come with the post, the CEO in a Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company must place the Catholic identity and mission of the trust at the forefront of all of its activities; the phrase ‘faith leader’ was also used.

The information below specifies the nature of the CEO role for us in the Diocese of Nottingham:

The CEO is the most senior employee of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and is accountable to the board of directors for school improvement and for the performance of all academies within the trust. As a practising Catholic, the CEO will be responsible for maintaining and 33 developing the Catholic identity and mission of the Multi-Academy Trust Company and the academies within it. S/he will be a driven and inspirational leader who is committed to creating the optimum educational opportunities for all children and young people across the trust. As the Accounting Officer, the CEO is accountable to the board of directors for the financial health and probity of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company and as such, will line manage the Director of Finance and all centrally employed staff. All headteachers in the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company are ultimately accountable to the CEO.

The CEO will require skills to oversee the academic performance of a range of different schools sometimes in a range of context and geographies at a strategic level and a key characteristic of the CEO will be developing a supportive relationship which is underpinned by a very clear accountability framework with each headteacher with involvement from the local governing body. Our schools all have their own unique character and serve diverse communities. The role of the CEO and the trust as a whole is to enable this to continue. CEOs will be tasked with developing and promoting greater collaboration within the trust, between the four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies and with other local MATs. They will be expected to work closely with the diocesan Director of Education through regular meetings and information sharing sessions in order to ensure that the diocesan vision for Catholic education is consistent in each of the four trusts.

Upon appointment, the NRCDES will ensure that each board of directors makes appropriate provision for the continuing professional development of the CEO. In the vast majority of cases, it is unlikely that the post-holder will have been in a similar post before. There will also be a strong expectation that the CEOs are able to be part of wider national and diocesan networks for CEOs in order to benefit from networking opportunities and mutual support.

In meetings which followed the publication of Part 1 of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, it was stated that the role of the CEO could only be undertaken by somebody who had experience of being a headteacher in a Catholic school. Following feedback, we have decided to broaden this requirement so as to allow for the possibility of a greater range of applications to be made when the posts are advertised. However, the requirement that the post is a ‘reserved post’ and therefore only open to candidates who are practising Catholics cannot be changed. Neither will the requirement for clear evidence about a candidate’s knowledge, skills and a proven effective track record in the area of school improvement.

A draft job description and person specification for the post of CEO can be found in the Supplementary Materials Pack as Document 8. A contract of employment is currently being prepared.

In order to assist with the recruitment of the CEOs which we hope to commence imminently, we have engaged the services of the ‘Emmaus School Leadership’ recruitment company. It is based in Surrey and it specialises in recruitment issues for Church schools. The company is approved by Churchmarketplace4.

4 Churchmarketplace is the official free collaborative procurement service for the Catholic community established by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales in 2010

A recommended salary scale for the CEO has also been produced which includes a methodology for calculating it based on a core element and a top-up element linked to the number of schools and pupils in the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust. This therefore recognises that whilst there are commonalities associated with the role, the workload will vary based on the number of schools within the trust. There has recently been a great deal of coverage in the media about the level of CEO salaries in some MATs across the country. In a recent editorial in the TES5, Ann Mroz ends with the following thought:

The schools’ sector is one that rightly prides itself on its moral purpose, on its devotion to service and duty, and on trying to do right by all children. What is required is more humility and less hubris. And what we want from those in our schools is to be public servants, not masters of the universe. For sure, both can change the world, but only the first do it solely for the benefit of others.

A draft CEO Pay Policy statement with suggestions on how the pay progression for CEOs is linked to performance is currently being prepared. It recognises the need to ensure that pay progression only takes place when the CEO has demonstrably over achieved her/his performance management targets as it is considered that annual pay progression without this would quite rightly be open to challenge and could lead to unsustainable levels of pay.

11.2 Staffing Structures

A great deal of work has been carried out by all of the working groups on the presentation of proposed staffing structures for the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. The proposals presented are draft and are subject to further discussion with the Regional Schools Commissioner before permission to form the trusts will be granted.

There is, at present, a tension between being ‘overly prescriptive’ and not having a sufficient infrastructure in place which will result in the DfE not approving the amalgamation and expansion of our trusts. It is also the case that the newly appointed CEO will want to work with the board of directors, local governing bodies and schools on approaches and strategies which will be best suited to the local context.

Information about the Directors of Performance and Standards posts can be found in the next section of this document.

Document 9 in the Supplementary Materials Pack contains the proposed structures for each of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts in the Diocese of Nottingham.

Director of Human Resources (HR) / Payroll and Pensions

Rather than each of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies having their own Director of Human Resources, there will be one Director of HR and two Payroll and Pensions Officers who will serve all four of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. This was found to be most advantageous for consistently applying CES policies and developing common processes and practice across all four of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. It will also ensure that schools can be supported by more HR Officers and Assistants working at local level. The posts of

5 TES – Times Educational Supplement, No. 5264 (1 September 2017), p.3 35

Director of HR and Payroll and Pensions Officers will be employed by one of the Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Companies with each of the trusts being charged on a proportionate basis.

Director of Finance

The operational team will be led by the Director of Finance who will oversee the central finance team for each trust comprising Finance Managers, Officers and Assistants. Current financial projections have also included an Estates Manager and an ICT Manager, however, these will be ‘phase 2’ posts and will be decisions to be taken by the CEO and the board of directors following discussions with the schools within each trust. Job descriptions and person specifications for the roles of Director of HR and Director of Finance are currently being completed.

In order to ease the financial burden on the Lincolnshire Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company (the smallest of the four), the operational team will be shared between the Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts. For this reason, the shared Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire operational team will be augmented by the addition of a Deputy Director of Finance, Finance Officers and Assistants and HR Officers and Assistants. The costs for this will also be proportionate to the size

The area of school improvement will be the prime focus for the CEO. One of the main reasons for seeking to appoint the CEO for each of our Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts is to ensure that they are able to devise a school improvement model which they and the board of directors feel will best serve the schools within their particular trust. For this reason, the posts of ‘director of performance and standards’ will be ‘core’ posts but the Director of Teaching School/CPD post will be at the discretion of the CEO and the board of directors for each trust. For the moment, the post has been costed into our financial projections.

Based on the current work, the costs of the executive team are covered, this would mean that once all appointments had been made, all schools would have the following services funded from the 5% top slice.

 Financial management (including a financial management system and procurement)  HR and legal advice  Audit services  School improvement/quality assurance  Health and safety – advice and guidance  Diocesan contribution  ‘Trust Governor’ package  ICT strategy  Apprenticeship levy

Further Actions:

Ref Action Complete by

12. School Improvement

Clearly, school improvement will be a central part of the work of the new Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Companies and will be led primarily by the CEO in the first instance with support from other members of the executive team such as the directors of performance and standards.

The role of Director of Performance and Standards will be key to the development of a school improvement system for each of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies and will report directly to the CEO.

The core purpose of the role of the Director of Performance and Standards is to support the CEO of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company in the efficient and effective delivery of the trust’s strategic aims one of which is to drive high standards by ensuring outstanding educational performance in all academies. (Job Description – Director of Performance and Standards)

The job description and person specification for the post of Director of Performance and Standards is Document 10 in the Supplementary Materials Pack.

However, it is important that the precise nature and meaning of ‘school improvement’ is unpicked. It is a term which is used frequently but which can have a range of meanings and interpretations. In our case, school improvement is not just simply about ‘improving’ schools which may be in a challenging Ofsted category. All schools will be on a school improvement journey and will be at different steps along this route. Whilst there will naturally need to be a clear structure in place in each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust for school improvement, it should not stop there. Essentially, all headteachers are charged with the role of school improvement within their own school. Indeed, the establishment of the central team within each trust will enable headteachers to devote more of their time to this aspect rather than on many other issues which can take up so much of headteachers’ time and focus at present. One of the main intentions behind the establishment of our four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies is that not only will headteachers be enabled to devote their time more entirely to school improvement in their own school but that there will also be a far greater level of collaboration both within each of the trusts and, where necessary, also between them.

For MATs, substantive matters also include developing a model for collaborating deeply on school improvement. If MATs are to fully realize their potential this has to go beyond sharing data and holding to account and encompass how leaders and staff across the trust are going to build capacity, share expertise and work together to improve outcomes for children and young people. (MAT mergers – Robert Hill)

Over the coming months, we must begin to build up a greater network of system leadership which will be of great benefit to all of our school communities. System leaders work beyond their own school and can be senior or middle leaders in schools. Their work might include:

 Sharing successful practice with colleagues in other schools  Providing coaching in a specialist area

 A formal deployment to support a school in challenging circumstances

Systems leaders could be:

 NLEs (national leaders of education)  LLEs (local leaders of education)  SLEs (specialist leaders of education)

There could also be a role for NLGs (national leaders of governance).

Normally, system leaders would work in collaboration with a teaching school. Part 1 of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham set the aspiration for each of the new Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Companies to have its own teaching school. Whilst this will remain an aspiration, it may not be possible in the short term due to national restrictions on geographical locations where applications for teaching school status can be made. The introduction of the SSIF (Strategic School Improvement Fund) creates an increasingly important role for teaching schools. It is also important that we continue to maintain strong, meaningful and effective links with our colleagues in maintained schools and teaching schools so that all of our children and young people may benefit.

Document 11 in the Supplementary Materials Pack provides a helpful case study of a school improvement model which is used at the ‘Flying High’ Trust, a MAT comprising 16 primary schools.

During the preparation of Part II of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, the NRCDES has engaged with Robert Hill, an educational consultant. Robert has agreed to work with us through the next phase of our project. He will also be leading a day for all diocesan headteachers which has provisionally been arranged for 15 January 2018 on school improvement within MATs. The day will begin with an opening address by Bishop Patrick McKinney and we also hope that the Regional Schools Commissioner will join us for the afternoon session.

Data and Reporting Arrangements

An outline ‘data collection calendar’ has been produced (Appendix 11) which would ensure that all schools within the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company were aware of when data was to be submitted, this work would be overseen by the standards committee of the board of directors in conjunction with the CEO and the Directors of Performance and Standards. The terms of reference from the NRCDES standards committee could also be adapted to form the terms of reference for each standards committee of the board of directors, this is Document 12 in the Supplementary Materials Pack).

The board receives management information in a standardised and easily accessible format which enables comparison of the performance of schools across the MAT. (p.20) (Multi-Academy Trusts – Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth)

The board must have access to objective, high quality and timely data if it is to create robust accountability and know the questions that need to be asked of the executive leaders. (p.21) 39

The board, not executive leaders, should determine the scope and format of reports they receive from executive leaders. This will mean that the board receives the information it needs in a format that enables it to stay focused on its core strategic functions and not get distracted or overwhelmed by information of secondary importance. (p.22) (Governance Handbook)

It will be a requirement for all schools to present data to the board of directors in a standardised format. However, it is recognised that at present, schools use a number of different data packages and as such, it would not be sensible to move to one data package upon the establishment of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company. It would be an area to develop in the medium-term. The role of a ‘data manager’ for the Catholic Academy Trust Company has not been costed in the present models, however, it would be for the CEO to decide on this in the future.

Sponsorship

At present, three of our schools are sponsored directly by the NRCDES (2 primary and 1 secondary) and two primary schools are sponsored by two of our existing trusts. A change in designation, that is to say, removing the title ‘sponsored academy’ from a school can only be made by the Regional Schools Commissioner. We shall continue to engage in discussions with the Regional Schools Commissioner on this issue, however, for the foreseeable future, our intention will be for the sponsored academies to play a full and active part in the life of their regional MAT.

We would also like to ensure that, over time, each of the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies has been awarded ‘sponsor’ status in its new form.

13. Recruitment and Succession Planning

At the beginning of the new academic year, there were a number of features about the difficulties that schools are facing both in the recruitment of teachers and headteachers. In terms of teachers, the government has stated that it is increasing its funding to attract more teachers and that more teachers are entering the classroom than retiring or leaving. An article which appeared on the BBC News website6stated that the recruitment agencies were reporting a huge increase in unfilled teaching vacancies.

In terms of headteachers, the SchoolsWeek website reported that 10% of the schools in Kent had opened its doors without a headteacher in September 2017.7 The difficulties that our own schools have in recruiting both teachers and senior leaders were mentioned in Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham and they are unlikely to disappear. The establishment of our four Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts could provide enormous opportunities for us to recruit and retain our teachers. Research has shown that a large number of graduates are not simply incentivised by large financial rewards (something which is most fortunate for us in the world of education)! Factors which do provide an incentive for them are the prospect of providing a service which is of benefit to society, working within an organisation with a strong set of values and the prospect of an exciting and varied career ladder. Our Catholic schools are founded on strong values, the values of the Gospel and centred around the person of Jesus Christ. By working as single institutions, it is not always possible for schools to provide ambitious members of staff with varied opportunities or career ladder, however, by working as a larger organisation, at a trust-wide level – this is most certainly possible. We can ensure that our future leaders receive a varied and exciting career pathway through experiencing a range of roles in different contextual situations along with strong and effective mentoring. We could have so much to offer and to promote the vocation of teaching among our young people. By doing so, we too could become ‘employers of choice’.

Today’s graduates … place a premium on an organisation’s vision, its role in society and the ability it gives them as employees to be ‘change makers’. They also want flexibility and the opportunity to work across a wide range of contexts during their careers; they want access to high quality mentors who are experts in their field; they want clearly set our career development pathways and opportunities; and they want to network with their peers. They also do want work life balance – and MATs’ potential ability to encourage the sharing of resources, lesson plans, schemes of work, moderation activities and peer to peer support is only just being realised in many contexts.

Indeed, MATs provide a framework for all of these expectations – yet too many are not yet developing a co-ordinated strategy for becoming employers of choice or coming close to marketing and promoting themselves as such. There is much work to be done in terms of how many MATs present themselves to young, talented candidates and develop their reputations as employers of choice. (Five Key Development Areas for the MAT Sector in 2017/18 – Michael Pain)

6 Schools open doors to ‘more unfilled teacher posts’, Hannah Richardson (BBC News), 5 September 2017 7 ‘One in ten Kent schools don’t have a headteacher, Alix Robertson (SchoolsWeek), 5 September 2017 41

This view is echoed by the House of Commons Education Committee:

…enhanced opportunities for professional and career development should be available at trust level and pipelines to leadership established. (p.8) (Multi-Academy Trusts - House of Commons Education Committee)

One of the most recent publications from the Congregation for Catholic Education also emphasises the importance of ongoing training and development for our staff so that our mission as Catholic schools can continue.

In this kind of cultural context, teacher training becomes essential and requires rigour and depth…this kind of training is urgent if we want to rely on teachers who are committed to and concerned with our Educational Project’s evangelical identity and its implementation in the future. (Educating Today and Tomorrow: A Renewing Passion – 2014)

This year, we have welcomed two new headteachers to a substantive role in a primary school. The table below shows that we currently have 6 vacancies for a headteacher position in the Diocese of Nottingham. In some cases, this is because the current trust has decided to make interim arrangements prior to the creation of the new trusts, in other cases, the governing body has attempted to fill the vacancy but has been unsuccessful.

Derbyshire/Staffs Leicestershire Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire Primary 2 0 2 1 Secondary 0 0 1 0

The number of applications for headteacher and senior leader posts tend to be relatively low and this is more noticeable at primary level. Clearly, the development of future leaders is an important aspect of our work but one which our new trusts could assist with.

Further Actions:

Ref Action Complete by

14. Restructuring – Impact on Current Roles

Whilst the vast majority of staff will not be directly affected by the restructuring process, we recognise and understand that for staff in certain roles the restructuring will have a direct impact on them.

Any restructuring will always be carried out sensitively and, importantly, with a view to retaining as many incumbent staff as possible in those roles which are affected. We anticipate that the majority even of those who are affected will be retained in new roles going forward. Where that is not possible, we are committed to a thorough and sensitive consultation process to ensure affected staff are fully informed. We anticipate being a in position to provide more detailed information in this respect by the end of the Autumn term.

The Vacancy Filling Strategy which was issued in February 2017 (Appendix 12) continues to apply until further notice. Should you have any questions about this or wish to access support, then please use the following email address: [email protected] in the first instance.

15. Finance and Procurement

In formulating Part II of the Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, schools were asked to submit comprehensive staffing and financial information. This information, which the NRCDES had not previously requested was vitally important in enabling the working groups to establish the financial health of all our schools and formed the basis of the detailed financial projections that have been prepared for our new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. This initial due diligence will be picked up by the local project teams as they move forward in their work to establish the new Catholic Multi Academy Trusts, but some key findings which emerged as a result of carrying out this work are detailed below:

 56% of our schools are facing an immediate budget shortfall, reporting a current in-year deficit.  In addition to those reporting short-term funding concerns, a further 24% of our schools have a medium-term (3 years) challenge to overcome.  It is widely acknowledged that staff costs form a significant proportion of expenditure for schools and academies across the country; 38% of our schools have very high staff percentages, which is placing a significant strain on the short and medium-term budgets for these schools.  Our schools have relatively healthy reserve balances with schools holding on average, across the diocese, £158,000 in reserve. There are however, significant geographical differences, with the average across Nottinghamshire being £381,000 compared to Leicestershire with an average reserve balance of £49,000.

One of the key tasks for the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies will be to support schools in overcoming these financial challenges; however, it is important that all schools begin now to formulate plans and take early opportunities which will ensure their long-term financial stability.

The operational working group focused on what each of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies would need to have in place for 1 September 2018; it considered various staffing structures and explored innovative ways of working including centralising and automating systems in order to minimise bureaucracy and therefore maximise the capacity for school improvement.

Despite the promise by government of some additional funding in the coming years things will still be tight and it is those MATs who are prioritising strategic thought and planning around this issue [financial sustainability and economies of scale] who will be best placed to protect spending on pupils’ learning in the years to come. (Five Key Development Areas for the MAT Sector in 2017/18 – Michael Pain)

In preparation for 1 September 2018, the group identified tasks and opportunities which need to be completed ahead of time and which would encourage and develop the sense of collaboration within each of the new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. Procurement is a key area to consider in order to maximise best value. Working in partnership with Churchmarketplace, a strategic approach to procurement has been developed. Following the publication of Part 1 of our Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham, schools were asked to submit details of

44 current contract end dates, suppliers and the value of contracts per category of expenditure. This work will continue during Part II of our plan. Churchmarketplace will continue to work with the Diocese of Nottingham and each of the four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies to analyse information and formulate a strategic procurement plan. This will also include producing a list of ‘preferred providers’ for services, for example HR, legal support, leadership recruitment etc. During this time, schools will also be asked to start to align to a single preferred supplier and a common end date and in so doing, will begin to harmonise contracts and maximise the overall purchasing power of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company. Where the value of the contract exceeds the threshold requiring an OJEU8 process to be completed, Churchmarketplace will be the preferred route to access OJEU compliant contracts and suppliers. The OJEU tender process takes approximately 6 months for Churchmarketplace to complete and representatives from dioceses including Nottingham are invited to sit on the selection panel. The OJEU tender process for financial management software will commence this month with contract award being scheduled for January 2018. By using Churchmarketplace official suppliers, we can be assured that the procurement process has been completed following the requirements and regulations of the Catholic Education Service, the Academies Financial Handbook and public sector procurement regulations.

8 OJEU stands for the Official Journal of the European Union. This is the publication in which all tenders from the public sector which are valued above a certain financial threshold according to EU legislation, must be published. The current threshold is set at £164,176 for the duration of the contract.

16. Implementation

The importance of moving from a diocesan-wide to a more ‘regional’ approach has already been stated. All four Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies are part of the Diocese of Nottingham and must therefore be governed in the same way, however, it is also important that once the founding principles have been established, each of the trusts can begin to take on their own ‘regional character’. This is one of the main reasons for wanting to move forward with the appointment of the CEO and boards of directors as quickly as possible. It would be inappropriate for a newly appointed board of directors and CEO to arrive at an already established trust. Instead, it will be for these to ‘shape’ the trust along with their schools, local governing bodies and parishes within a framework set by the Diocese of Nottingham and which has been approved by the Regional Schools Commissioner.

The educational press contains numerous examples of MATs merging with other MATs, or in some cases of schools being removed from one MAT and placed into another. There is an aspect of our diocesan strategy which could be seen as a ‘merger’ in some parts of the Diocese however, clearly in our cases, there are also some schools which will be joining a trust as a newly converted academy. Robert Hill draws on some academic research by Hamid Bouchikhi and John Kimberly on mergers and acquisitions in the corporate sector which he transposes into a MAT context. According to the research, there are four types of merger and acquisition: assimilation, confederation, federation and metamorphosis. In describing the ‘confederation model’, Hill outlines a situation where schools join a MAT but do not really ‘buy in’ to the concept of collaboration.

This model may work in the corporate sector but with trusts, a confederation approach tends to equate to a marriage of convenience. The partners are not ready to form something new and different. It’s a minimalist MAT model: the MAT will always struggle to be more than the sum of its parts. The academies in such arrangements are only likely to get limited value from being part of a larger entity and the organisation itself is vulnerable if one of their members starts to develop problems – they are unlikely to have cultivated the skills, systems and disciplines necessary to intervene and arrest decline. (MAT mergers – Robert Hill)

The description of the ‘federation model’ (this term must not be confused with our own understanding of school federations) is a much more accurate outline of the aspirations for our diocesan Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies. This model values diversity yet creates a new shared identity.

Federation differs from confederation in the minds of the authors by virtue of there being a new layer of identity sitting alongside the existing identity. In MAT terms, you positively foster the uniqueness of individual schools while having a strong overarching layer that coordinates and support their work and holds them to account for their bottom line performance…in contrast with the confederation approach, accepting different identities is not a legacy issue but a positive asset that benefits the whole organisation and from which all parts of the enterprise can benefit and learn. (MAT mergers – Robert Hill)

For us, whilst contextually there will clearly be some differences, our actual identity as Catholic schools in the Diocese of Nottingham is already shared. This is something of tremendous values which will assist greatly as we begin the actual process of establishing our new Catholic Multi- Academy Trust Companies.

One of the first steps in this process is to establish a ‘local implementation team’ which will work in very close partnership with the project manager from the NRCDES. This process has already begun with the NRCDES leading discussions on the most appropriate approach to take in each area. Some of the main tasks to be undertaken will be the conversion of existing voluntary-aided schools to academies, merging the existing trusts into a new successor trust and establishing new systems including a finance system for each of the new trusts. Each of the local implementation teams will be led by a ‘project lead’. Whilst the precise nature of the role will vary according to the current context of each of the four areas, a generic ‘role description’ has been formulated which can then be tailored to a more local context, this can be found in Appendix 13.

Following legal discussions, we have been advised that the most cost-effective approach will be to use the company number of one of our current trusts in each region as the legal entity which all of the other schools will join. It must be emphasised that this is simply a legal process, it will mean that the existing company number will be retained but each of those trusts will be renamed to form one of our new Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies.

The company number of the following MATs will be used:

Area Company Number Notes Derbyshire/Staffordshire St Robert Lawrence CAT Present Sponsor (St Joseph’s, Matlock) Leicestershire Bl Cyprian Tansi CAT Largest of the three present county trusts Lincolnshire Northern Lincolnshire CAT Present Sponsor (St Mary’s, Grimsby) Nottinghamshire South Nottingham CAT Includes the Teaching School

Due to the complexity of establishing four large trusts, it will be necessary to look at the implementation process in two distinct phases. Phase 1 will be day 1 of the newly established Catholic Multi-Academy Trusts opening (1 September 2018), however, it will also need to be seen as a transition year where some schools will continue with some of their existing services and where the central team will be smaller in order to enable the CEO and board of directors to work on appointments which will be appropriate to the local needs of the trust following consultation and discussion with stakeholders. Phase 2 will be when this process has been completed; the central team will be established in a way which best suits each region. It is also the case that all trusts will and must evolve on a regular basis, so whilst we envisage that the trusts will be more fully established by September 2019, this does not for one moment mean that the process will stop. It will be for each trust to respond to the needs and context of their local area on an ongoing basis, working always within the framework that is established by the Diocese of Nottingham.

Phase 1  CEO and Board of Directors in place 1 September 2018  All schools converted and in the new trust  Director of HR / Payroll & Pensions Officers in place  Director of Finance in place  Central finance and HR teams established  Interim school improvement arrangements

Phase 2  Lead lay chaplain in place 1 September 2019  Bespoke school improvement model established for each trust  Additional posts recruited to central team according to local needs

Appendix14 contains a more detailed description of the main steps involved in the implementation of Phase 1.

We recognise that for our voluntary-aided schools, the academy conversion process can also appear rather daunting initially. The local implementation teams will work closely with all of the schools, the same legal firm will be instructed and we hope to also work with a small number of DfE officials who have an understanding of our schools and our diocesan strategy. A brief outline of the ‘steps’ in the academy conversion process can be found in Appendix 15.

Appendix 1 – Suggestions for Names of Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies Albert the Great Aloysius Gonzaga Angela Merici Bede the Venerable Benedict Bonaventure Botolph Cassian of Imola Catherine of Sienna Christus Rex Lumen Christi Ave Maria Salve Regina Cyril of Jerusalem Dominic Eugene Francis de Sales Gregory Hilda (of Whitby) Isidore of Seville Ita Jean Baptiste de la Salle Jerome John Bosco Joseph Calasanz Joseph of Cupertino Margaret Ward Maximillian Kolbe Modwenna Nicodemus Our Lady of Walsingham Our Lady of Lourdes Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Mount Carmel Patrick Peter Fourier Philomena Pius X Ralph Sherwin Rosa Venerini Sebastian Teresa of Avila Theresa of Calcutta Therese of Lisieux Thomas Becket Thomas Aquinas Thomas More Ursula Vincent

Appendix 2 – Plan for Catholic Schools – Part 1 (Summary)

Appendix 3 – Lay Chaplaincy

Headteachers have the overall responsiblity for the Catholic Life of the school

Lead Lay Chaplain in the MAT

Responsiblity Areas Resources Report

1 or 2 days a week role Link to Religious Co-ordination of Hub Additional depending on the size Member of MAT and Chaplaincy Payment of MAT Directors

Salary Cost and / or cost of Training and Report to CEO and replacement for school in Development of Lay Executive Team on which the Lead Lay Chaplain Chaplaincy in the MAT Catholic Life of schools works

Common working Developing future Lay Lay Chaplaincy Lead Lay Chaplaincy School Visits practices across the Chaplains - volunteer Development Plan for meetings MAT programme the MAT

DCI support for Catholic Job descriptions/ Interviews, induction Lay Chaplaincy reports Organise Spirituality Life and Collective appraisal of Lay and training of new Lay or articles for Inset for MAT Worship Chaplains Chaplains publication 51

Appendix 4 – Summative Diocesan Data – Ofsted

1 September 2017

Outstanding Good Requires Inadequate Improvement

Primary 13 / 69 51 / 69 3 / 69 2 / 69 (69 in total) 19% 74% 4% 3% (19%) (72%) (8%) (1%)

Secondary 1 / 15 10 / 15 3 / 15 2 / 15 (15 in total) 7% 67% 20% 13% (23%) (56%) (16%) (5%)

Outstanding Good Requires Inadequate Improvement

All schools 14 / 84 61 / 84 6 / 84 4 / 84

(84 in total) 17% 73% 7% 5% (21%) (68%) (9%) (2%)

Number good or better % good or better

Primary 64 / 69 93% (91%) Secondary 11 / 15 73% (79%)

All schools 75 / 84 89% (89%)

Figures in red represent ‘national’ data

Source: Maintained schools and academies: inspections and outcomes as at 31 December 2016

(published by Ofsted 22 March 2017)

Appendix 5 – Summative Diocesan Data – Diocesan Canonical Inspection

1 September 2017

Outstanding Good Requires Inadequate Improvement

Primary 29 / 69 40 / 69 0 / 69 0/ 69 (69 in total) 42% 58% 0% 0%

Secondary 10 / 15 5 / 15 1 / 15 0 / 15 (15 in total) 67% 33% 7% 0%

Outstanding Good Requires Inadequate Improvement All schools 39 / 84 45 / 84 1 / 84 0 / 84 (84 in total) 46% 54% 1% 0%

Number good or better % good or better Primary 69 / 69 100% Secondary 14 / 15 93%

All schools 83 / 84 99%

Appendix 6 – Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Companies - Governance Structure

Members

Board of Directors

Delegates functions to Committees, CEO, LGBs and Principals / Headteachers

Finance & Standards HR & Pay & Audit Estates Staffing Performance & Risk Mgt

CEO

Principals / Local Headteachers Governing Body

Appendix 7 – Members’ General Meeting

Catholic Multi-Academy Trust – Members’ General Meeting Attendees Trust Members Trust Company Secretary Trust CEO Trust Chair of Board of Directors (Trust Deputy CEO – Standards Lead) Trust Finance Director

NRCDES Director of Education / Deputy Director of Education

Timing End of November / early December The meeting is timed in order to meet the requirement within the Articles of Association to submit an annual return to the Secretary of State by 31 December. Rationale for the Members’ General Meeting 1. To consider and approve for submission the annual return to the Secretary of State and the Report of the Directors and Financial Statement. 2. To appoint the auditors and accountants for the next academic year. 3. To review the performance of the Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company for the year to August, including:  Catholic Life within the academies of the trust  Pupil progress and attainment  Standards across the trust  Financial health of the trust  Stewardship of the estates 4. To consider the strategic development of the trust including key aims, challenges and development objectives. Expected Outcomes 1. Approval of the annual return to the Secretary of State and the Report of the Directors and Financial Statement. 2. Directors and the CEO are held to account for the performance of the trust. 3. Agreement of the key aims and objectives for the trust to be taken into the Catholic Multi- Academy Trust director ‘visioning events’. Format of Arrangements 1. NRCDES to coordinate the arrangements for the meeting with Catholic Multi-Academy Trust company secretaries. 2. Meetings for each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company will take place on the same day which will be set by the NRCDES based on the availability of the bishop and other members. 3. The meeting will usually take place at the Diocesan Centre, Mackworth. 4. The NRCDES will provide a briefing for members ahead of the meetings. 5. Each Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Company will have a separate meeting which will be scheduled to last between 1 and 1.5 hours.

Appendix 8 – The Local Governing Body (LGB) in Focus

Appendix 9 – The Relationship between the Board of Directors and the LGB

Appendix 10 – Trust Governor Trust Governor is a cloud based one stop information and process management system for schools, academies, MATs and their governors.

Schools and trusts can centrally manage all aspects of their governor, board and trust processes and documents with controlled user level access to resources.

Meeting papers and core documents are stored on the cloud in pdf format.

 Recording of transparency information  Business interests – code of conduct – eligibility  Keeping Children Safe – Prevent duty  Updated training records  Governor skills audit  Governors’ forum for discussion  View/edit meeting notes in context  Send and record emails to other governors/committees  Access to latest policy documents  Useful web links for sharing with governors  Interactive self-assessment review and report

To view an online presentation, please see: https://www.the-trust-governor.co.uk/presentation.php

Appendix 11 – Sample Data Collection Calendar

Date Data Source Standards Committee (Directors, CEO, Directors of P&S , TSA) July Initial headline data KS1 & 2  SATs results (from Meeting end of summer term re KS1 & 2 headline data. schools)  Early identification of potential concerns Oct  Attainment vs national and floor DfE checking site Meeting end of October:  Progress (overall, gender and key groups) (unvalidated)  Strengths and areas for focus (schools in scope)  Schools’ evaluations of data Common format written report by HTs (validated by SIPs where there are  Validation of HTs’ areas of focus concerns) outlining:  Tasking of SIPs and TSA support  strengths  Schools to be visited (CEO, SIP + Standards Committee Director?)  areas for improvement  actions to address these Links to NRCDES Standards Committee (termly?) Visits to schools with strong performances and those causing concern Dec Current cohort:  DfE data (RoL Meeting early January  Current (overall, gender, key groups) replacement)  Review of schools identified as ‘in scope’  Projected (expected end of KS outcomes)  FFT analysis  Feedback from school visits (strongest and in scope)  Indication of possible progress (from projected data) ?? – need to agree  Dashboards  Review of all schools’ current tracking data (any new concerns?) calculation  Schools’ own  Evaluation of impact of actions to address previous concerns Previous cohort: tracking data  Identification of new concerns, possibly specific to the new cohort  Unvalidated data (RoL replacement) – previous cohort  Evaluation of TSA support and identification of ongoing support  Validated primary (RoL replacement); data dashboard needed  Agree programme of school visits Written report by HT (validated by SIP where there are concerns) outlining:  evaluation of actions to address concerns (previous cohort)  strengths (current cohort)  any new areas for improvement and actions Links to NRCDES Standards Committee Follow up visits to schools March Current cohort:  RoL – validated Meeting end of March  Current (overall, gender, key groups)  Schools’ own  Review of schools in scope: SIP updates  Projected (expected end of KS outcomes) tracking data  Impact of actions taken to address concerns (current as identified in  Indication of possible progress data (from projected teacher assessed data) January and previous cohort)  Evaluation of TSA support – new deployment agreed Further school visits where necessary

Appendix 12 – Vacancy Filling Strategy

This document was issued to schools in February 2017.

This document is the first in a series of documents issued by the NRCDES to schools, academies and academy trusts regarding actions to be taken in support of The Plan for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Nottingham (Part 1) issued in January 2017 and has been sent to Headteachers, Chairs of Governing Bodies, Chairs of Academy Trusts and Company Secretaries.

Action Required Headteachers to discuss the contents of this document with their governing bodies and ensure that plans for vacancy filling during the transition period are in line with this strategy

Timing Immediate

A. Background As discussed at the regional meetings held during January and February work is now underway in each of the four working groups to look at a range of options for the staffing structure of the new MATs. Our priority will be to give very careful consideration to any proposals to ensure that we address fully our Diocesan priorities which are to:

 protect and secure Catholic education in the Diocese of Nottingham for the long-term  ensure that the new MATs are financially viable for the long-term  provide a strong focus on school improvement  ensure that all our schools and academies continue to be led by highly skilled and dedicated leaders

We are conscious that whilst the working groups move ahead with the necessary planning and preparation work, our school and academy leaders will need the freedom and flexibility to continue leading and managing their schools with minimum disruption to teaching and learning – so it will need to be “business as usual” as far as possible in terms of day to day management.

As part of this work the HR and Finance Working Group has been tasked with planning how we will move forward from the staffing structures currently in place in our schools, academies and academy trusts to a position in September 2018 which will allow our newly formed county-based multi academy trusts to function effectively, efficiently and without disruption to teaching and learning.

We know from looking at other large MATs and how they are organised that new opportunities will be created at all levels in the structure and that the new MATs will look very different, particularly in terms of those roles supporting the finance, business and administrative functions of the school. Whilst at this stage no single structure has been agreed we do need to put in place a strategy to enable us to move forward with vacancy filling and restructuring which will help us to keep all our options open in the transition period leading up to September 2018.

B. Vacancy Filling Strategy The following strategy aims to provide a consistent approach across the Diocese; allowing for continuity in staffing resources and flexibility during the transition period. It is not intended to replace best practice in recruitment which always includes the need for regular and robust review of staffing needs by the leadership and governors of the school, academy or academy trust.

The first stage in considering how to proceed with any vacancy must be a review of the job role and function to establish whether the role and grading as specified in the job description is still appropriate and whether any amendments are necessary before a decision is taken to proceed with recruitment.

If the there is a need to fill the vacancy then the following general procedures should be followed during the transition period.

1. Teaching and classroom based roles Our aim is to have zero impact on teaching and learning during the transition period by retaining staff and recruiting high quality classroom teachers to fill vacancies. Therefore we ask you to continue filling vacancies in teaching and classroom based roles as they arise in line with your procedures. The use of temporaryi or fixed termii contracts will be appropriate only when the circumstances of your school would normally require this type of contract, for example maternity or long term sickness cover, or to work with a named pupil. Your HR provider will be in a position to advise you on the most appropriate type of contract to use for this purpose.

We recognise that from time to time there may be a need to review teaching and classroom based staffing structures in response to: • needs identified in the School Improvement Plan relating to a curriculum change • significant changes to the size of the school (up or down) • the individual needs of the pupils, eg SEND • the budget and resources available and that this may require some restructuring. Please continue to review with governors your teaching and classroom based staffing to ensure that you meet the needs of your pupils.

2. Leadership roles Recruitment for senior posts, including Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher, in your current structures must only take place with the prior consent of and in consultation with NRCDES. Please continue, as you now do, to notify us as soon as a vacancy for Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher arises and we will work with you on the range of options available for filling those posts. It may be that we need to take into consideration other leadership vacancies which may arise and ask you to work with a temporary arrangement during the transition period – we will of course handle each vacancy as it arises on a case by case basis. In addition, during this period we ask you to notify us if you wish to recruit for an Assistant Headteacher or Lay Chaplain.

We do not expect there to be a need for you to restructure your leadership teams between now and 1st September 2018 so proposals which are likely to result in the creation of additional or higher graded leadership posts must be referred to NRCDES and will be approved only in exceptional circumstances.

Appendix 13 – Draft MAT Implementation Team Project Lead Job Description

Job Description – MAT Implementation Project Lead

For Project Manager (secondment on substantive terms and conditions for a period of x months)

Purpose

To manage the project in order to deliver the agreed outcomes within the specified timescale and budget.

Main tasks and responsibilities

1. To develop a detailed project plan to ensure the successful delivery of the overall project; this to be cleared by Shadow Board and NRCDES by October half term 2017. 2. To lead on the conversion of the remaining VA schools to Academy status ensuring that academy orders are in place for 1st January 2018 and conversion is completed on 1st September 2018. 3. To coordinate actions for the recruitment of CEO and executive teams in accordance with the project plan and to ensure that the CEO and Financial Director recruitment is complete by Easter 2018. 4. To ensure that a Financial Management system for the MAT is in place and operational on 1st September 2018. 5. To lead on the merger transfer of the existing MATs into the new MAT and ensure compliance with legal requirements ensuring that the process is completed by 1st September 2018. 6. To provide accurate reports on progress and the key risks to the MAT shadow board of directors. 7. To liaise with NRCDES providing progress updates as required and responding to requests for information within 10 working days. 8. Develop transition plans prior to implementation outlining key actions and owners to ensure successful transition period.

Post holder essential criteria

Core skills

 Project management ability  Strong communicator, both written skills and presentational skills  Relationship management, in particular, motivating staff and outside organisations to support change  Producing complex and statistical reports with detailed analysis.  Use and application of IT, particularly financial systems.

Experience

 Experience of delivering major projects on time and within budget  Knowledge of academy/MAT financial management requirements  Knowledge of MAT governance and accountability framework  Experience of recruitment campaigns and management of recruitment for senior officers  Experience of converting schools to academy status  Demonstrable relevant experience of supporting business change

Appendix 14 - New Catholic Multi-Academy Trust Implementation Steps Task Who End Date Recruit Directors for each new Trust NRCDES Launched 8th September/completed end October 2017 Engage professional support for recruitment of NRCDES End August 2017 MAT CEOs

Publish Part II of Plan for Catholic Schools in the NRCDES September 2017 Diocese of Nottingham

Engage Legal Support NRCDES End September 2017

Engage HR external support NRCDES End September 2017

Establish Local Implementation Teams NRCDES/Local Partners September 2017 (Teams supported by NRCDES including regular meetings of four teams and NRCDES) Hold MAT area sessions to discuss Part II NRCDES / Local Partners September / October 2017 Meeting of the NRCDES board of directors NRCDES 10 October 2017

Secure RSC approval for Part II of Plan NRCDES October 2017 (submit Business Case)

Voluntary-Aided school conversions Local Implementation Commences October (see separate Step Guidance to VA conversions) Teams / NRCDES 2017, concludes August 2018 Recruitment of CEOs NRCDES / Members October –December 2017 Publish Part III of Plan for Catholic Schools in the NRCDES End November 2017 Diocese of Nottingham Due Diligence undertaken Local Implementation December 2017 Check on finance, staffing and contracting information Team Legal Documentation prepared (New Articles of Legal / NRCDES / Local March 2018 Association & Scheme of Delegation) Implementation Team

Recruitment of Director of HR CEOs / NRCDES /Local April 2018 Implementation Team Recruitment of MAT Directors of Finance CEOs / NRCDES /Local April 2018 Implementation Team Central Team Locations identified CEO / Local April 2018 Implementation Team Central Teams established Local Implementation July 2018 Including job matching and advertisement of vacancies Team / HR MAT Established with CEO and Central Team CEO / Local August 2018 Implementation Team MAT applies to RSC for Sponsor Status CEO/Board February 2019

Appendix 15 - Academy Conversion – Steps in the Process

Step Who By when Diocesan permission to convert received Bishop Patrick / Completed All VA schools in the Diocese of Nottingham have received this NRCDES from Bishop Patrick Engage Legal Support NRCDES End October Engaged by NRCDES/Implementation Team on behalf of each school

Local Implementation Team established for each MAT area NRCDES / Local End October and NRCDES will meet regularly with the Implementation Teams Partners throughout process Expression of Interest Local End November Each VA school registers an interest with the RSC to convert to academy Implementation status (online action carried out by Implementation Team) Team

Project Plan produced for each VA school Local End December Plan tailored to circumstances of each school and developed in consultation Implementation with the school Team Engagement/Consultation with Staff, Parents and Parish School / Initially end communities Local December but Parents and staff Informed of proposals and engaged in discussions on how Implementation continuing the change will affect them and the school Team through process Due Diligence School / End December Undertaken by schools and Implementation Teams to ensure that Local information on contracts with third parties and staffing records is up to Implementation date Team Draft Legal Documents prepared and Land Questionnaire Legal End December completed

Governing Body passes resolution to convert and applies to RSC School / Local January 2018 for Academy Order Implementation Team Academy Order received together with Conversion Grant from RSC End January RSC

TUPE process commences with notification to employees of date School / Local End April of transfer to new employer Implementation Team Schools apply to the RSC to join the new MAT Local End April (Business Case submitted) Implementation Team / NRCDES Final Legal Documents and Funding Agreement prepared and Legal July signed by Chair of Governors

TUPE process complete with confirmation to employees of School / Local September 2018 transfer to new employer Implementation Team School opens as Academy in new Catholic MAT September 2018

References

Needs to be updated

Church Documents

Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales Christ at the Centre (2012)

Code of Canon Law (1998) http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM

Congregation for Catholic Education The Catholic School on the Threshold of the Third Millennium (1997) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_2 7041998_school2000_en.html

Diocese of Leeds Schools of Discipleship (2008) http://www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk/education/files/pdf/SchoolsofDiscipleship.pdf

Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation: Evangelii Guadium (2013) https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa- francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html

Pope Francis Address to Italian School Teachers (10 May 2014) https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/may/documents/papa- francesco_20140510_mondo-della-scuola.html

Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education The Catholic School (1977) http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_1 9770319_catholic-school_en.html

DfE Documents

Characteristics of Successful Multi-Academy Trusts (August 2015) http://www.newschoolsnetwork.org/sites/default/files/Characteristics%20of%20Successful%20MAT s.pdf

Educational Excellence Everywhere (March 2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere

Memorandum of Understanding between the Catholic Church and the Department for Education (April 2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517424/Memorandu m_of_understanding_between_the_Catholic_Church_and_DfE.pdf

Multi-Academy Trusts: Good Practice Guidance and Expectations for Growth (December 2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/576240/Multi- academy_trusts_good_practice_guidance_and_expectations_for_growth.pdf

Governance Handbook (January 2017) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/582868/Governance _Handbook_-_January_2017.pdf

A Competency Framework for Governance (January 2017) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/583733/Competency _framework_for_governance_.pdf

Letters

Lord Nash to all Chairs of Trusts (October 2016) http://www.bishopflemingacademyaccountants.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Lord-Nash- letter-to-academy-chairs-of-trustees-October-2016.pdf

Peter Lauener (EFA) to all Academy Trust Accounting Officers (October 2016) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-academy-trust-accounting-officers-october- 2016

Other Papers/Reports

All Party Parliamentary Group on Education Governance and Leadership / National Governors’ Association Twenty-One Questions for Multi-Academy Trusts (March 2015) https://www.academyambassadors.org/resources/twenty-one-questions-multi-academy-trusts

National Governors’ Association Written Evidence Submitted to the Education Committee MAT0044 (May 2016) http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/education- committee/multiacademy-trusts/written/32354.html

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