Working with Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust to co-ordinate and manage the submission of a new multi-academy trust and academy conversion application in addition to the conversion of five primary schools and one secondary school into a new trust. In addition to the conversions, GLK supported the Trust with the development of key documents and strategies to enable the formation of BFLPT for September 2019 including a new scheme of delegation, reporting structures, financial and operational procedures, Member and Trustee information, and a central trust offer linked to financial plans. The converting schools comprised of a small academy trust, three single academy trusts, and one mainstream school
We ensured that each of the schools remained on track throughout the process and converted on time. The priority for this project was to form the Trust for 1st September 2019 with all schools joining at the same time whilst ensuring minimal impact on the school’s capacities. We worked with the Trust and the schools to agree a project plan which met each setting’s calendar and circumstances. GLK’s Project Manager, Lesley Millard provided the main point of contact throughout with all schools, the Trust, the Department for Education, local authority, and the appointed solicitors.
Once the Trust received approval and GLK Solutions were further procured to project manage the conversion process for each of the schools and the formation of the MAT. Our work to legally form the Trust and convert the schools in included:
- Working with the Trust and schools to provide all required information
- Flexed our approaches and information between schools were already SATs and one school who were a local authority maintained school
- Acted as the lead contact between the Trust and DfE
- Co-ordinated activity and contact with the legal firm and the local authority for TUPE
- Completed a full consultation process for the schools joining the MAT which included a summary report for the Department for Education
All conversion activities were completed on time allowing the Trust to form for 1st September 2019 as planned for the start of a new academic year.
As a subsequence of working with BFLPT, GLK Solutions were asked to tender for their clerking support to the Trust Board and its committees. We have been providing professional clerking and governance support to the Trust since September 2019 and have built strong relationships with its Members and Trustees.
In September 2020, Doncaster UTC opened and joined the Trust as new offer within the group of schools. GLK Solutions were also procured to providing clerking to the UTC’s local governing board. Helen Redford-Hernandez, CEO of Brighter Future Learning Partnership Trust stated:
I would like to express my sincere thanks to Gemma and Lesley at GLK who have been consummate professionals throughout the process of supporting myself as CEO and governors to create the Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust. They have brought significant expertise and resource to a very challenging project and have been highly effective in how they have managed the co-ordination of key information across many different stakeholders in the project.
I have been impressed by their many years’ experience of developing large-scale educational projects and the expertise they were able to draw upon to make our conversion to a Multi Academy Trust efficient, timely and cost effective.
I would have no hesitation in recommending them to other schools wishing to embark upon similar projects. They have been central to the project’s success by supporting the development of key processes and documents in readiness for the conversion; their exacting standards and meticulous approach to paperwork have been exemplary and vey importantly served to build the confidence needed to manage a project of this magnitude. They are an outstanding project team- thank you!.“
Helen Redford-Hernandez
CEO | Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust