Background

• Holland Park School (HPS) is a coeducational Art-specialist secondary school, mainly serving the community of Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), with catchment areas extending as far as Grenfell Tower and the border with Westminster borough. Its outstanding Ofsted ratings, inspirational teaching, strong academic performance, high aspirations and pristinely maintained facilities make HPS a highly sought after school. Having achieved Flagship School Status for the third time in 2021, HPS’s reputation and influence extend well beyond its vicinity and is a source of pride for the local community and its approximately 1,400 students, their parents and staff.
• Following a recommendation in a Notice to Improve (NTI) issued by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) on 2nd November 2021, the school is moving towards joining a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).
• We strongly oppose this move as it would almost certainly be detrimental to the students, their families, staff and the local community, based on evidence presented in detailed reports such as the National Education Union publication (1) and Education Policy Institute (EPI) reports (2,3), as well as cases of failed MAT ventures, such as the previously outstanding Kinsley Academy in West Yorkshire (4), which rapidly deteriorated after joining the Wakefield City Academies Trust that eventually went bankrupt (5).
• Our key concerns about HPS joining a MAT are:  

1. Loss of autonomy and accountability;
2. Lack of flexibility and agility in decision making, thus reducing effectiveness;
3. Loss of freedom to do what is best for the students and the community;
4. Reduced control of finance and budget;
5. Reduced investment in student welfare, safeguarding and school facilities, including building maintenance;
6. Reduced staff recruitment and retention;
7. Deteriorating academic results under the likely changes in teaching curriculum and regime;
8. Loss of identity, aspirations and pride, resulting in lack of incentive for better performance by both teachers and students;
9. Lack of inclusion of the parents and local governing bodies in the running of the MAT, as it is not a requirement under MAT regulations;
10. No benefit in being part of a MAT since HPS is already a highly successful academy. 

• The board of HPS Governors led by its Chair, Jane Farrell, is currently in the final stages of selecting and recommending a MAT with almost no involvement from the parents and the local councils of RBKC and Westminster. 
• The prospect of joining a MAT with little clarity leaves the parents, students and the respective educational representatives from the local authorities in distress over the future of the school.

We urge the HPS school governors, the local community, the local authorities of RBKC and Westminster, the Regional Schools Commissioner, the ESFA and the Department of Education to seriously consider the negative impact on the 1,400 students, parents, and the local community before taking the irreversible step of forcing HPS into joining a MAT. 

Please help to stop this motion by signing this petition and let HPS continue to be a thriving and successful standalone academy.

References:

(1) “Joining A MAT is Not The Answer”, National Education Union, 2021;

(2) “School Performance in Academy Chains and Local Authorities – 2017 “, Education Policy Institute, 2018;

(3) “The impact of academies on educational outcomes”, Education Policy Institute, 2017;

(4) “ The great academy schools scandal”, The Guardian, 2018;

(5) “WCAT to be wound up after schools lost £2m in collapse”, BBC News, 2019;