Issue - meetings

Report of the Corporate Director is circulated

In the absence of Councillor Lionel Grundy (Cabinet Member for Children’s Services), Carolyn Godfrey, Corporate Director, presented a report which outlined a proposal from the Trowbridge Cluster of Schools to establish a company limited by guarantee with charitable status to deliver a number of services across the Trowbridge area, and proposed that the local authority become the supervising authority for maintained schools who join the company.

At the Chairman’s invitation, Mr Andy Packer, Headteacher of John of Gaunt Secondary School, Trowbridge, spoke on the proposal, explaining that the formation of a company would consolidate the good work to date within the Trowbridge Cluster of schools.  The proposed company would also operate as a social enterprise, so any surplus would be reinvested for the benefit of the schools.

The Leader asked Mr Packer to provide the Cabinet with an update in a year’s time on how the company was progressing.

Resolved:

a)    That the local authority (LA) approves the formation of a schools company Collaborative Schools Ltd.

b)   The LA becomes the supervising authority for the company.

c)    The LA instructs the Clarendon College that it must not become a formal member of the company whilst it is in Special Measures.

Reason for Decision

The Trowbridge schools have proposed the establishment of a school company as the most effective method for ensuring the continued delivery of extended services and collaboration between schools.

The company must have a supervising authority which would normally be the local authority in whose area the schools are located.