The Academies programme was introduced as part of the then Secretary of State, David Blunkett's, March 2000 speech on transforming secondary education. The first Academy projects were announced in September 2000.
Academies are publicly funded independent local schools that provide a first class free education. They are all ability schools established by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups working with partners from the local community. Academies provide a teaching and learning environment that is in line with the best in the maintained sector and offer a broad and balanced curriculum to pupils of all abilities, focusing on one of more subject specialisms.
What are the criteria for a school to become an Academy?
Some Academies are brand new schools in areas which need the extra school places. Most of them replace existing weak or underperforming schools. As a broad rule of thumb, the Government is prepared to consider any secondary school where in 2006 fewer than 30% of pupils gained five or more GCSEs at grades A* - C (including English and Maths) as a potential Academy project. In addition, local authorities should always consider an Academy as an option for dealing with a school in special measures, or subject to an improvement notice, whatever its results.
Sponsors may also enter an Academy proposal in any of the competitions now required under the Education and Inspections Act 2006 for most new and replacement schools, regardless of whether the normal standards criteria for an Academy apply. The competition decision maker must consider all proposals on their individual merits, having consulted the Department on whether it would be willing to enter into a funding agreement in the event of the Academy succeeding in the competition.
How long does it take for an Academy to be established
Once we have received, and approved an Expression of Interest the precise time that it will take to open the Academy will vary according to the individual project and whether it will open in existing buildings. Academies that are built using the PFS/BSF model will typically open as an Academy in their existing buildings which will reduce the time from EOI to opening to around 2 years.
Academies are an integral part of the Government’s strategy for raising standards in the most disadvantaged and challenging areas. They will raise standards by innovative approaches to management, governance, teaching and the curriculum. The involvement of sponsors from the voluntary and business sector or faith groups will allow them to bring their skills and expertise to each Academy.
How soon do you expect Academies to show real improvement in educational standards?
We do not expect Academies to be an overnight success, given the legacy of underachievement that they may have to overcome, but we expect that all Academies will make steady upwards progress and it is possible that some may show dramatic improvements very quickly. Academies will be schools where pupils want to learn and where the teachers have high expectations of each and every pupil. Good teaching, excellent facilities and motivated pupils will deliver real improvements in educational standards.
How are you assessing the progress of the academies that are open? Have they been inspected by Ofsted yet?
The Academies Division at the DCSF has a team of advisers who work closely with Academies to monitor their progress and give support and advice. The DCSF has an agreement with Ofsted that they will carry out a monitoring inspection of new Academies, under Section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996, in the 5th or 6th term of their existence and a full published Ofsted inspection within the third academic year. We have commissioned an extensive longitudinal evaluation of the Academies programme.
How are Academies accountable to their local communities?
We want Academies to be at the heart of their communities, and expect them to be established in consultation with local stakeholders. We have been encouraged by the public response to the first Academies opening and the development of future Academies. Local interests are represented on the governing body.
Will opening an Academy adversely affect other schools in the area?
Quite the opposite. Academies will be part of the local family of schools, sharing their facilities and expertise with other schools and the wider community, contributing to raising standards across the whole area.
Academies are all-ability schools. In line with other schools with a specialism they can admit up to 10 per cent of pupils each year on the basis of their aptitude for the specialism concerned, where the specialism is covered by the relevant regulations. The relevant specialisms are physical education (PE) or sports, the performing arts, the visual arts, modern foreign languages, design and technology, and information technology. In all cases, the admission arrangements for each Academy are agreed with the Secretary of State as a condition of the funding agreement and are consistent with the code of practice on admissions and with admissions law.
Will faith Academies be open to pupils from all religions and none?
All Academies admissions arrangements must be agreed with the Secretary of State as a condition of the funding agreement, following local consultation, and be consistent with the School Admissions Code. The Education Act 2002 repealed the arrangement in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 that allowed schools with a religious character to reserve places for children of their own faith or denomination. All applicants for school places must be considered, though the Code allows faith schools to give priority for admission to children on the basis of religious affiliation.
Academies must have regard to the SEN code of practice and statutory guidance on inclusion. An Academies independent status, does not affect parents' rights to appeal to the SEN and Disability Tribunal. Research conducted by NFER on behalf of the Local Government Association found that Academies admit higher proportions of pupils with SEN compared to the proportions living in the local postcode districts.
Will pupils from a school replaced by an Academy be guaranteed a place there?
We expect most pupils at schools replaced by Academies to have the option of transferring to the Academy.
Do Academies receive more funding than maintained schools?
Ministers are very clear that there must be parity of funding with schools in the maintained sector that operate in similar circumstances. Otherwise, those schools could justifiably argue that they are being treated inequitably. We want to ensure that funding will allow Academy innovations to be replicated in other schools.
Do Academies have to deal with lots of bureaucracy?
We are committed to freeing Academies from unnecessary bureaucracy. We are looking at how to maximise the freedoms and flexibilities available to them. Academies will be encouraged to make full use of the flexibilities that they already enjoy.
Furthermore we are looking at the processes and procedures for establishing Academies and are committed to reducing bureaucracy and red tape. The scale of the investment inherent in Academies does mean that we need some processes in place to ensure accountability and value for taxpayers’ money.
Do Academies have problems finding new staff or encouraging staff to transfer from the predecessor school?
The Government takes a positive view of the TUPE Regulations. Accordingly the Department's policy is that Academy projects which involve the closure of an existing school or the merger of two or more schools should be conducted on the basis that the TUPE Regulations apply, unless there are exceptional circumstances which render this inappropriate.
Some Academies are seeking to enhance recruitment through Teachfirst; others are creating structures which use a large number of ASTs or a greater number of adults other than teachers. In addition the flexibilities that Academies have should allow them to be in the forefront in applying school workforce reform strategies.
