Our team has extensive national experience supporting academy group projects. Indeed, over half of the conversion projects we have worked on have involved the creation of, or adding academies to, academy groups. Projects have included multi-academy trusts (MATs), umbrella trusts (UTs) and collaborative partnerships covering single phase groups, multi-phase groups, mixed MATs (church and non-church academies), Roman Catholic groups and Church of England groups.
We have created numerous innovative group structures using the MAT and UT formats together to overcome local difficulties. The academy projects we have advised on have emanated from 111 different maintaining local authorities, giving us exceptional experience of dealing with different local authority and Diocesan approaches.
You may currently be a multi-academy trust or sponsor who is an experienced education organisation with a strong track record in academy conversions. You might, equally, currently be a maintained school or single academy looking to set up a multi-academy trust or start your expansion programme.
Whatever your size, we know you need your legal partner to be commercial and efficient in providing academy sponsorship and conversion support, to strict timeframes and without unnecessary complications.
“I could not recommend Browne Jacobson any more highly. The quality of the service, the rapid response time and the quality of the advice given to us is by far superior to what I have encountered elsewhere."
We supported a secondary academy wanting to become an approved sponsor and adopt multi-academy status. Working with the academy we helped them to understand the DfE's requirements and to write a successful business case. We worked with the leadership team and governing body to design a suitable governance structure and set up a MAT to meet their future strategic vision.
Supporting four secondary schools wishing to adopt academy status within a multi-academy trust. We worked with the leadership teams and governors to help them understand the process, DfE requirements and design a MAT that met their local circumstances.
Supporting an existing multi-academy trust selected by the DfE to step in and support a number of failing academies. Our advice and support was required at short notice which often meant attending Board meetings to provide timely advice in order to effectively support the MAT to deliver the project in difficult circumstances and a tight time-frame.
Trusted legal advisors for a big multi-academy trust on over 20 of its academy projects, including fast track and fully sponsored, PFI conversions, a special free school, a mainstream free school and the establishment of a brand new academy led by a local authority.
"The results provide valuable insight on a range of key policy issues as well as challenges and priorities of the day."Read the report
"These are the frequently asked questions (FAQs) we get asked by schools acquiring sponsored academy status."Read our guide
"We're delighted to work in partnership with our colleagues and friends at the National Governance Association (NGA) and the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) on the development of this guidance paper, ‘Taking the next step – a guide to forming or joining a multi academy trust’."Find out more
We’re pleased to collaborate with Lloyds Bank, who recently asked us and audit and risk specialists Crowe UK to offer guidance that academy trusts would find helpful when considering setting up a trading subsidiary.
We provide an update on the Schools Bill proposed legislation & it's impact on academy trusts.
Following its publication of the White Paper at the end of March, the Department for Education (DfE) has shared an implementation framework focusing on its plans for “a stronger and fairer school system”.
Part 1 of the Schools Bill introduces statutory rights designed to ensure that the Secretary of State has efficient oversight and is equipped to address “instances of failure” in academy trusts.
In this article, we review what duties they undertake and consider how these are different from what they set out to be.
