Legal changes in the last two years has led to all community schools – primary, secondary and special - having the option to investigate Foundation status. This leads to a change in governance of the school such that the governing body:
- Becomes the employer of the school staff.
- Becomes the admissions authority for the school within the requirements of the School Admissions Code.
- Takes on ownership of the school’s land and assets.
Furthermore, the Education and Inspections Act 2006 includes provision for a foundation school to set up a charitable foundation (or Trust) to support the school. This type of foundation school is known as a Trust school. To acquire Trust status:
- Existing foundation schools can set up a charitable trust.
- Community schools can take on foundation status and set up a trust within a single process.
Schools can set up a trust in a collaborative group whereby the schools acquire foundation status and adopt the same trust. The aim of Trust schools is to use the experience, energy and expertise from other schools and professions as a lever to raise standards in schools.
Both foundation schools and Trust schools remain local authority maintained schools.
The Trust and Foundation Schools Partnership (TFSP) is a consortium of three educational organisations - Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT), Youth Sport Trust (YST) and Foundation & Aided Schools National Association (FASNA) - contracted by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to support the national Trust and Foundation Schools Programme.
The consortium brings:
- Experience and expertise covering the key areas needed to embed the Trust and Foundation Schools Programme within the wider raising achievement agenda.
- Established networks, programmes and activities which enable the consortium to rapidly, directly and cost-effectively reach the key audiences (secondary, primary, special, governors and partners).
- Wide experience of supporting fast-growing national education programmes of comparable scale and complexity.