Below are a list of some questions that we think people may have. We will be updating this list regularly with responses to questions posed via the online survey - so please do keep checking in to find out more.
What is a multi-academy trust (MAT)?
A multi-academy trust (MAT) is a charitable company established to be responsible for several academies. Each academy remains a separate school with its own local governing body, but governors are responsible to a Board of Trustees established for the Trust as a whole.
Trustees are accountable to the Secretary of State for Education for the educational and financial performance of all the Trust’s schools and maintain a central team of staff to ensure that schools improve and meet the government’s expectations.
Why are you joining a Church of England trust?
While Aletheia started as a Church of England Trust, over recent years it has welcomed a number of non-faith based schools.
Would Aletheia convert our schools to become Church of England schools?
No. This is not something that is being considered, and they have not made any attempt to do this at the other non-faith schools who have been part of the trust for years.
Have headteachers been involved in this process?
Yes they have. They played a critical role in the selection process.
What will this mean for my child’s education?
Being part of a larger multi-academy trust will provide greater opportunities for school staff to work together to share and develop best practices so that we can continue to improve teaching and learning in all schools - but you and your child are unlikely to see any visible difference day-to-day.
Schools will still have the same name, the same uniform, the same admissions arrangements, the same leaders and staff – and, most importantly, the same pupils.
Who will appoint academy committees?
Academy committees will continue to reflect the character of the schools. They will include elected parents and the Headteacher. Other committee members will be appointed by the Trustees in partnership with each academy committee. They will continue to involve members of the local community as much as possible, whilst ensuring an appropriate range of skills.
Will admissions arrangements change?
In short, no.
When would this merger happen?
If this were to proceed, then it is likely to take the remainder of the academic year to complete all the paperwork. The legal process would then conclude in the autumn of 2026.
Will merging with a MAT make our school less accountable to our community?
This is something that we have considered in depth. Different Trusts operate in different ways, and we have been careful to ensure that we are working with a Trust that has:
Will any staff leave if we are joining another Trust?
We hope not. A major drive is to provide a wider range of CPD (continuing professional development) and enhanced career opportunities for all of our staff. Staff would officially be employed by the MAT, but their existing employment rights would move across under the TUPE rules and thus be protected.
Do you have any other questions?
Please go to the Have Your Say page and click on the link. Let us know your thoughts, and we will update responses to key questions on this page so that the whole community can see them.
What specific training opportunities will be available to staff?
Aletheia have a significant number of training opportunities available. These include:
Will there be 'trust days' where we will all get together (training and/or celebrations)? or do we all stay pretty separate?
Aletheia brings colleagues together to help share best practice and ideas. These include:
Is the trust willing to listen to the viewpoints of the people from all levels and not just those higher up?
Absolutely. There are regular Trust surveys and a Staff Voice Group to ensure people are listened to and heard.
Will a school’s existing reserves be swept centrally and therefore lost by the school?
RMET already pool reserves, so schools do not hold local reserves. Aletheia currently do not pool, up to a maximum of 12% of income.
Therefore, RMET reserves will be reworked and reset at the point of conversion with the aim of each RMET school either holding the minimum target of 8% of reserves or NIL where a deficit is identified.
What is the top slice and will there be GAG pooling?
Aletheia does not pool GAG. The top-slice currently ranges from 5.75% to 6.25% of income plus additional recharges for elements of Clerking, Media and Finance which sit outside of core delivery. This process is under review.
Will our health benefits, such as private health care still exist?
Yes, private Health Care will still exist if a staff members wants to keep it. Aletheia offers employee assistance programme via Schools Advisory Service, this covers:
How will the Trust support staff wellbeing and workload?
Aletheia have a Workplace Charter to outline their approach to workload and staff wellbeing. To read it, click here.
How does the new Trust measure success outside SATs and Ofsted results?
Whilst educational outcomes and external inspection remain important indicators, Aletheia takes a broader view of success and measures impact through a range of qualitative and quantitative indicators that reflect its mission to provide an exceptional education and positive life chances for every child.
Success is measured through:
What specific benefits will staff and students see within the first two years?
Aletheia want to build on what is working well in our schools, and supplement it with additional support and capacity. This will include:
Benefits for students
Benefits for staff
What are your attainment levels for phonics across the schools?
Trust average for phonics check outcome last year was 80%.
I am aware that Altheia has their own ITT and ECT and CPD provision. We currently have very strong relationships with a local Teaching Schools Hub. What do they envisage changing about our provision?
Existing school relationships will not end – secondaries who have recently joined the Trust are currently working together to ensure continued best practice and the most effective provision.
There is likely to be, however, a move towards an aligned provision, lead by Trust SCITT/ECT lead and CPD Lead (with experience of working with all local providers). This could include:
How will access to IT and admin support be arranged. In particular, RMGS needs to have on site IT support. I understand that some admin and financial support could be more cost effective when centralised, but currently the system re IT technical support does not aid our learners as it could?
Aletheia currently have centralised IT Support, but the staffing is not centralised to a single location.
Currently, two members of the team are based at our secondary schools and spend the majority of their time supporting their school’s needs. The teams on site receive support from the remaining members of the central team as required, with appropriate escalation routes built into workflows to ensure a robust support network.
Additionally, as an accredited support provider for Arbor, our central team can continue to provide Arbor support whilst colleagues based on site respond to other site-specific issues. Our model works well and ensures that we can both draw on expertise of the team remotely whilst also ensuring we capture the unique requirements of each secondary setting.
The team are looking forward to collaborating with the existing RMET support team to further develop the service that is offered to our Trust.
Will the HT and senior team have some autonomy in maintaining RMGSs current values and ethos?
Yes! Part of our foundation is the preservation of individual identity. We consider the trust to be a family as in any family there is a strong bond that unites us but we also celebrate difference – we consider our schools to be siblings, not clones!
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