national challenge trust school arrangement
the challenge:
A local authority was converting a national challenge
foundation school into one of the first national challenge trusts.
This involved partnering it with a high performing school so the
newly formed trust could benefit from its expertise in raising
standards.
our approach:
Working with the local authority we identified the relevant
characteristics of a national challenge trust and how to move
through the statutory process quickly and accurately. Advice was
also provided on the governance options available to ensure the
high-performing school had sufficient influence through the
partnership to help raise standards whilst balancing the national
challenge foundation school’s need to maintain its own
identity;
the results:
The establishment of a national challenge trust school with a
bright future. The national challenge school has retained its own
character, but now enjoys an unparalleled level of support and
expertise from its partner school, which is itself confident that
it has the legal structures in place to enable it to make a
difference.