Types of School

State schools receive their funding either through their Local Authority (maintained schools), or direct from the government (academies).  There are a number of different types of state schools, and also a number of different ways in which schools can collaborate together.

Local Authority (LA) Maintained Schools receive their funding through the local authority (e.g. Buckinghamshire Council) after a percentage has been taken by the LA for school services (such as Special Educational Needs, School Admissions). Maintained schools include Community Schools, which are not influenced by businesses or religious groups and follow the National Curriculum; and foundation and voluntary schools which are sometimes supported by representatives of religious groups.

Academies’ funding is allocated directly to schools from the Education Funding Agency, without the top slice that goes to the Local Authority for Maintained Schools. Academies don't need to follow the national Teachers Pay & Conditions document and are accountable under both charity law and company law.

“Academies Financial Handbook” EFA – 1 Sept 2016

The Government’s Strategic Priority

In 2022, the Government published its white paper: Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child. This paper re-iterated the Government’s ambition to move to a fully trust led system with a single regulatory approach, which will drive up standards through the growth of strong trusts and the establishment of new ones, including trusts established by local authorities.

Opportunity for all policy paper 2022

Collaboration

Maintained Schools are encouraged to identify opportunities to work with local schools on shared initiatives which will maximise resources and improve outcomes for children, for example:

• School partnerships and collaborations which focus on particular projects for a certain period of time
• Soft federation, whereby 2 or more schools and their Governing Boards work together on shared common goals and may employ shared staff, but retain their individual governing boards to hold each school to account separately
• Hard federation, working together on shared common goals, employing shared staff with one governing board across the federation and possibly one shared Executive Head Teacher across all schools in the federation

Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) are formed when a number of single academies join together. Many schools are currently considering options available to them and may be considering converting to academy status and joining a MAT or forming a MAT.