Education Update - Collaboration March 2011
Wednesday 9th March 2011
Working Together to safeguard your budget and access to services
With fears growing over finances and the future provision of local authority services, some schools and colleges are looking at ways in which they can work together to strengthen their position - from federations and academy groups, to more informal arrangements.
What are the pros and cons of working together?
By working together, education providers may be able to secure advantages, such as increased purchasing power for goods and services, cost savings or an increased educational offering through shared resources. In addition, collaborations can result in improved education provision, training and development through sharing best practice.
What should be considered when contemplating collaborative working arrangements?
When working towards, or even considering, collaborative arrangements, education providers need to ask themselves:
- How the arrangement should be structured (e.g. purchasing consortium, federation, contract)?
- What are the implications for governance and accountability?
- Does the arrangement fit their ethos and objectives, and meet their particular needs?
- Are there likely to be any reputational issues; is there a need for communications planning?
- How should any impact on staff be managed, to ensure compliance with employment law duties?
- Collaborative Working: We can advise on the different structures for collaboration, put the arrangements in place, and manage any implications for staff (e.g. where the changes result in new working arrangements or restructuring).
- Academy Conversion: In addition to offering specialist advice on all aspects of the conversion process, we have expertise in providing legal advisory services post transfer.
- Legal advisory services: We offer specialist advisory services to schools/school groups. Our Head of Education, Helen Tucker, was until recently Head of Legal at The Girls' Day School Trust, a large group of independent schools and academies. Helen is experienced in providing practical advice to schools across a wide range of issues (e.g. safeguarding, DDA/SEN, negligence, complaints), and in helping groups share best practice, for example through group guidance and training.
- As a full service law firm, our team can also advise on employment matters (such as sickness, disciplinary issues, and Tribunal claims), contracts, disputes, data protection, IT, IP, and property.
For a free discussion without obligation, or for further information, please contact Helen Tucker, Head of Education.
Ashfords LLP is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. The information in this note is intended to be general information about English law only and not comprehensive. It is not to be relied on as legal advice nor as an alternative to taking professional advice relating to specific circumstances.
