Information on Converting to the Trust
For further information on academy conversion, please contact
Emily Hind, Conversion Project Manager: emily.hind@romerocat.com
Romero Catholic Academy Trust is one of three Multi Academy Trusts established by the Diocese of Salford to serve the schools in the north of the Diocese. Our geographical area includes Diocesan schools within Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Calderdale.
Proudly fulfilling the wishes of Bishop John, we aim for all schools within our footprint to have joined our Trust by 2030. By achieving this, our Trust will total 58 schools, serving over 22,000 children and young people.
The purpose of the Trust is for a family of schools to work together to improve the outcomes and experiences and future life chances of our pupils, with Christ at the centre of everything we do.
Effective governance is essential for the function of the Trust’s schools. The professional group of directors, with a wide and relevant skill set and who are approved by the bishop, support our schools. In addition, local governing bodies play a very important role providing scrutiny and decision-making at an individual school level. However, fundamental to the success of our schools are the headteachers and their staff. We believe that headteachers are central to thriving and successful schools and that they need the autonomy to fulfil their role. Indeed, our headteachers say they now have more autonomy and support within the Trusts than they did within their local authorities.
At the core of every school is a commitment to continuous improvement. Headteachers and their teams lead this process, with the Trust’s education service providing expert support and robust quality assurance. Our approach builds on each school’s own self-evaluation and priorities, ensuring that support is tailored and purposeful. The Trust’s school improvement team works closely with headteachers and the CEO to commission any additional resources or expertise needed and to make sure this support delivers measurable impact.
The Trust is committed to ensuring all schools operate in a financially secure and sustainable way. To support this, our central finance team works alongside headteachers and school business managers to deliver value for money, achieve savings through economies of scale and identify new funding opportunities. This enables schools to direct more resources into teaching and learning. Each school is assigned a dedicated finance manager who offers tailored guidance and hands-on support to meet the specific needs of their school.
FAQs
Will the school’s name change?
The Bishop controls the name of the schools in his diocese and Bishop John requires the school’s legal name to include the words: ‘Roman Catholic and ‘Voluntary Academy’ (e.g. St Mary’s RC Primary School, a Voluntary Academy) from the conversion date. As a result of this change, schools will receive a new URN. It is expected that as and when school signage needs to be replaced, it would include the updated school name from that time. The school’s uniform does not need to change as a result of joining the Trust.
Will all schools have to have identical or similar structures?
There is no ‘template’ of staffing, curriculum or teaching style. This will be a decision for the governing body and the headteacher. The school’s ethos and culture will be the responsibility of the governing body and the headteacher.
The Trust has set visions and values which are based on Bishop John’s vision for education, these must be actively supported by all schools. Schools can however, retain and develop their own visions and values which they are also guided by.
How will the Trust be funded?
The Trust takes an annual management fee which covers the ongoing services and support provided to the schools. You can find out more about our services by viewing the Our Offer page and see the teams behind the offer on the Our Team page.
The management fee will be taken from the money allocated to schools based on its pupil numbers (for academies, this is called the General Annual Grant or GAG). SEND, Pupil Premium, Sports Premium or any other grants awarded to schools are not part of the management fee and remain wholly with the school.
What happens to a school's reserves?
All funding is the responsibility of the Trust however, schools will retain all their budget minus the management fee.
Schools will not be responsible for the financial deficit in another school, although combined reserves could potentially be used to deliver a project on a ‘loan’ basis. The CFO will provide additional support to school business managers and provide additional assurance to the Trust Board and the Accounting Officer that the money is being used appropriately.
As a Limited Company and Charity, the Trust must publish audited accounts each year.
Who is responsible for the running of the school?
The day-to-day leadership and management of each school remain the responsibility of the headteacher. This is central to our approach. Headteachers continue to work with their governing bodies, and the Trust is here to provide additional support, guidance and, where appropriate, constructive challenge.
We see our role as one of service: supporting headteachers to lead with confidence and clarity. Feedback from our schools shows that headteachers often feel more empowered after joining the Trust, knowing they are not alone in navigating challenges. Many also report that inspections such as Ofsted or CSI feel less daunting thanks to the ongoing support and preparation provided by the Trust.
Who appoints staff to the school?
On the conversion date, all school staff will transfer to be employed by the Trust.
The appointment of senior posts, including the headteacher and deputy, will have the involvement of the Trust Board, usually through the CEO, who works with the governors. The appointment of the key Catholic leadership posts (Headteacher, Deputy, Head of RE and Chaplain) will continue to have the involvement of the Diocese.
For other appointments, the schools will be responsible using their own established scheme of delegation. The Trust will provide support with recruitment process, removing an administrative burden from schools.
What happens if the school’s performance is a cause for concern?
The Trust, through the CEO meets annually with the Regional Director (formally the RSC) to review the performance of all the schools in the Trust. There is an expectation that being part of an academy trust will improve school’s performance. As is now the case, robust action plans would be agreed, with support and challenge for rapid improvement if required. The trigger for serious concern about a school from the Regional Director is primarily Ofsted judgements.
School headteachers will also meet annually around the start of the academic year, with the CEO and Education service to conduct a standards review. These reviews allow the opportunity for areas of improvement to be recognised and appropriate resources to be allocated to improvement plans.
How will conversion affect Ofsted Inspections?
Academy schools are inspected in the same way as all schools. During inspection, the lead inspector will want to speak to the Chair of Governors and the Trust representatives. The CEO is also involved as part of the evidence gathering on the leadership and management of the school.
Schools that become academies are treated by Ofsted as new schools. Schools that are subject to directive academy orders will not be inspected for three years after conversion. Schools that become academies in the Trust, and were most recently judged good or outstanding, are treated as new schools for inspection purposes. They are usually subject to an ungraded inspection (formally known as Section 8 inspection) as their first inspection: this will normally take place within three years of the school becoming an academy, but this is not a hard and fast rule.
CSI will take place in Trust schools as they do for maintained schools.
What terms and conditions will school staff be working under in an Academy Trust?
Teachers and support staff remain under their current terms and conditions (i.e. Burgundy and Green Book) and the Trust follows current and future school teachers pay and conditions and nationally agreed public sector pay.
Pensions (TPS and LGPS) remain unchanged as they are now and are underwritten by government. The main teacher and support staff unions are recognised and part of ongoing consultations on policy.
Staff transfer to the Trust on the same conditions as their previous post and maintain their existing rights and benefits (this is known as TUPE).
Can the Trust change staff terms and conditions once the school converts?
The Trust is governed by a legal document called Articles of Association, as well as Diocesan Protocols, which cannot be changed by the Board of Directors or the CEO. They are the responsibility of the Bishop and must be followed by all Trusts in the Diocese.
Will staff be forced to move to other schools in difficulty?
Although staff are employed by the Trust, their contract will specify the school they are working in and they will not be forced to move to another school.
It is possible that a member of staff is a joint appointment but this will be agreed in advance between the schools and the employee and be part of their contract.
Being within the Trust may allow staff opportunities for professional development in other schools and in doing so could improve talent, development and succession planning, but this will only be done with the agreement of all parties.
What are the advantages of being in our Trust?
Joining our Trust means your school will benefit from a strong, collaborative support network; no longer reliant on the local authority. Instead, you’ll have access to targeted support and constructive challenge from a dedicated team that knows your context and responds quickly to your needs.
We pride ourselves on being responsive and hands-on. Our CEO and Central Team can act with agility, providing rapid support when it’s needed most. Whether it’s a call, an email or an in-person visit, our team is readily available. It’s not unusual to see us working directly alongside staff in school.
As part of a Multi Academy Trust, schools also benefit from easier access to capital funding, with our Chief Financial Officer and school business managers managing this process to ease the burden on school leaders. Increasingly, school improvement funding is channelled through Trusts, giving our schools greater opportunity to access these resources.
We also foster a culture of collaboration. Regular network meetings at leadership, staff and curriculum levels provide valuable opportunities for professional development, sharing best practice and mutual support – ensuring everyone can thrive and grow together.
Will the school remain part of the Salford Diocese?
The Articles of Association and the Memorandum of Understanding make it clear that the school and the Trust remain within the Salford Diocese (these documents are available on the Trust’s website). The members of the Trust (including the Bishop) are also the Trustees of the Diocese. The schools joining the Trust will all be from the Catholic family of schools and have the commitment to the liturgical life of the school and the centrality of religious education. In relation to current governance structures for VA schools, joining a Catholic Academy Trust significantly strengthens the relationship between the school and the Diocese of Salford.
What is the timeline for conversion?
A map of conversion has been agreed by the Diocese for schools within our Trust footprint, however there are several stages and consultation before any application is formally approved by the Diocese and the DfE. The Trust has a dedicated team member within the Central Office who supports headteachers and schools through the conversion process and leads on all the administration.
You are welcome to contact the Trust’s Executive Administrator and Conversion Project Manager at any time with any queries you have on your school’s conversion.
