Exploring MATs
Dear parent / carer
For some time, the Government has been actively encouraging all schools to move towards becoming an academy. Although the Government direction for all schools to do so by 2030 has been removed, as a Governing Body, we feel that we want to be very much in control of our own destiny. There are many reasons why King Edward Primary School is so popular, and we want to ensure that whatever future decisions are taken, we continue to have at our heart a desire to work for the children of our local community. We can see many benefits moving forward of working collaboratively with other schools and no doubt in doing so we can share our practice and also learn from other schools.
We have tasked Miss Byrne with exploring all options, this may at times take her away from school while undertaking due diligence. Governors have sought external advice and expertise around the pros and cons of academising and a new sub-committee is being constituted to oversee this work.
North Tyneside is an unusual local authority, in as much as there are very few academies and no MATs (Multi Academy Trusts) based here. This does present possible opportunities for the school to work with like-minded local schools to possibly set up a MAT and this is something which we will actively explore. However, we could equally find that, as a result of our current investigations, we decide at this point we do not wish to change anything just yet.
This is potentially a big decision for the future of the school. While there will be no rush to make a decision, and due diligence will be done, this is something we have been exploring behind the scenes for more than 12 months. We will update you with any developments in this area and outline how we would plan to consult on any changes to governance with parents and other stakeholders if that situation were to arise.
Jonathan Heath
Chair of Governors
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