FAQs
Got any questions for us? Take a look below at some of the Frequently Asked Questions that people have about us and the academisation process in general.
If you still can’t find what you’re looking for, then contact us and we will be happy to talk to you, free of charge, to help you to be in the best position for making critical decisions for your school’s future.
Academies are publicly funded, independently run schools.
They are still monitored by Ofsted and accountable to the Department for Education, but there is greater opportunity to develop models about how the school is run. They are effectively civic structures and still the beating heart of the locality.
Currently, there are three main options facing all schools.
1. Do nothing. If this is your preferred option, then at least have a Plan B. Be ready to move if anything happens to force the issue so that you at least have some control in the journey.
2. Join an existing Multi Academy Trust. If this is your preferred option, then at least conduct robust due diligence to be able to make a fully informed decision as to the MAT that you join. Is the MAT the right one for your school?
3. Create a Multi Academy Trust. If this is your preferred option, then at least choose your partner schools wisely and conduct robust due diligence to ensure the Trust you create is the best it can possibly be.
Whatever your preferred option or to find out more about the options you have, speak to us. We provide external and independent support to help you make the right choice for your school.
In a multi-academy trust (MAT) all schools are governed by a single board of directors, and the entire trust is a single legal entity. The MAT is responsible for decisions relating to how each academy is run and is ultimately accountable for each of the schools.
The process begins with applying to convert online via the government website. Providing your application is successful, you can move on to the next step and get the ball rolling on transforming into an academy. There can be a lot of legwork involved with legal paperwork in becoming an academy, which can be a hassle when you’re trying to run your school at the same time. But that’s what we’re here for! For the simplest transition into an academy, get in touch and we can guide you through it and take care of everything, leaving you to do what you do best – educate your students.
The process typically takes around 4-6 months, although it can take longer for religious schools due to more complex property issues being involved.
Yes. There is a government grant of £25,000 available to any school that successfully applies to become an academy. Whereas a lot of our competitors will conveniently charge most, if not all, of the grant, J&G only charges half of this for our services, meaning the rest of the grant money is available for you to reinvest in your newly formed academy, as you see fit.
£11,500 (plus VAT) – that is, if you choose J&G! Many other competitors will charge a lot more, often the full £25,000 grant you receive to aid your conversion.
Academies have a lot more freedom in how they run themselves. They don’t have to follow the national curriculum and can set their own term times, teachers’ salaries and more. However, they still have to follow the same rules on admissions, special educational needs and exclusions as other state schools. They receive their funding directly from the government, rather than from the Local Authority, and therefore, have complete control over how they use it.