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Last year we wrote about the opportunities for Housing Associations to drive the regeneration and renewal of schools within communities through the Academies programme. By becoming a sponsor of an Academy, a Housing Association has the opportunity to provide strategic direction for a school and raise aspirations. This includes appointing the head teacher, shaping the curriculum for the school and moulding the culture and ethos of the school.
Housing Associations remain under represented amongst the organisations sponsoring Academies. A significant reason behind this may well be the £2 million price tag that has previously been attached to becoming a sponsor. At a time when Housing Associations are concentrating on their core businesses, the thought of spending £2 million to enable the regeneration of a school may not be top of the agenda.
An announcement last month by Schools Secretary Ed Balls may change this. The announcement paves the way for the removal of the requirement for a £2 million sponsorship contribution. Mr Balls stated that there will no longer be a requirement for new Academy sponsors to make a financial contribution for schools opening from September 2011. The test will now be based on an organisation’s skills and leadership and their commitment to working with local parents, teachers and pupils rather than an ability to contribute financially. Under the new Academy sponsorship proposals being published for consultation in the autumn, sponsor applicants will have to pass a robust but light touch selection process to demonstrate the leadership and drive to turn schools around – instead of financial sponsorship being required from some sponsors.
There is now a real opportunity for Housing Associations to deliver tangible benefits at the heart of their tenants’ communities through sponsoring Academies. By regenerating schools and then moulding the culture and ethos of those schools, Housing Associations can help to give the children within these communities a better start in life and a real opportunity to succeed. In addition, the announcement means there are now opportunities for adding value to bids for tendered local authority regeneration schemes by not only providing housing, but also providing local schools.
With Academies being part of the education policies of both the current Government and the Conservative Party, the future for Academies looks very bright.
If anything we have said above is of interest or you would like to discuss the process of becoming a sponsor of an Academy please contact:
Antony Power
Partner, Projects Group
Tel: 020 7065 1823
Mobile: 07809 593896
Email: antony.power@devonshires.co.uk
