Making significant changes to an open academy

The Department for Education has released updated guidance for academies undertaking significant changes. Following feedback from the sector, new processes have been devised and will be implemented from 1 April 2024. The full guidance can be found here.

The importance of significant changes

An academy will be subject to a significant change if it undertakes a project that creates, changes, or removes the number and/or type of school places and/or where these places are offered. Applications must be made before the change is made and provide adequate time for processing. Failure to do so will constitute a breach in the academy trust’s funding agreement. In this event, the DfE will take action against the breach, and the academy trust will be required to submit a retrospective significant change application.

Reducing the level of retrospective significant changes is a priority for the Department given the large number of applications submitted in recent years. If you are still determining whether your plans constitute a significant change, our MAT Development Team can provide advice and support on the process.

What constitutes a significant change?

A significant change refers to the following activities:

• expansion or removal of capacity (by more than 30 places)
• expansion onto a satellite site (including special schools)
• age range changes
• change of gender composition
• transfer to another site
• adding or removing boarding provision
• amalgamation
• de-amalgamation
• gaining/changing/removing a faith designation
• redesignation and changing a Church of England academy’s characteristics
• increasing or decreasing places in a special or alternative provision (AP) academy by more than 20/20% (whichever is smaller)
• change in type of special educational needs (SEN) provision in a special academy
• adding or removing a SEN unit/resource provision (RP)
• increasing or decreasing the number for which a SEN unit/RP caters (by 20 pupils or 20% of the overall school capacity, whichever is smaller)
• changing the type of SEN for which a SEN unit/RP caters.

Pupil place planning collaboration

The Department has dedicated the first section of its new guidance to the importance of area-based collaboration regarding pupil place planning. Local authorities, academy trusts, and local partners are responsible for balancing the supply and demand of school places in response to changes in demographics. This has added further complexity and scrutiny to significant change applications.

Our MAT Development Team has expertise working with academy trusts on the significant change process. Our specialists will provide the extra capacity you require and support your application, from working with you to obtain the requirements for the pre-application stage to completing your project.

If you would like to discuss the support EPM can provide in navigating the new process, please talk to us.