What are Academies?

 

Academies are new types of schools and by September 2009 there will be about 200 open academies in the country.  This is a very small percentage of the total number of schools in England and Wales (approximately 3500) but there is no doubt that academies are seen as an important part in the drive for national school improvement.

The academies programme began in this country at the turn of the first new century with the first being opened in 2003.  Manchester Academy (a sister ULT academy) was the first to be opened in that year.  Originally academies were intended to replace ‘failing' schools mainly in areas of high social deprivation.  The intention was for academies to reduce the attainment gap in these needy areas and to improve the life chances for the pupils and their families.

So in what ways are academies similar to other schools and, conversely in what ways are they different?  Well, firstly academies are free schools just like local authority maintained schools.  Parents do not have to stump up fees to send their children to an academy.  Secondly, academies are subject to the same inspection regimes as other schools i.e. they are independently inspected by OFSTED and they are subject to the same rules on Special Educational Needs and must fit in with local admission arrangements.  Thirdly, academies are included in the annually published results tables.  Finally, academies are funded in exactly the same way as other schools with the major determinant factor being the number of pupils on its roll.

However, there are marked differences between academies and other state-maintained schools.  The first is that academies are run by an independent sponsor.  The most notable is that academies are free from local authority control and are funded directly from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) via the Sponsor.  There is a very important legal partnership (known as The Funding Agreement) between the Local Authority, the Sponsor and the Secretary of State.  The Local Authority agrees to give the school and its land to the Sponsor who then puts up a sum of money, which is then augmented by the DCSF.  The Sponsor then uses the total sum either to construct a brand new academy building, or in some cases to refurbish the existing school building.

The Sponsor is responsible for appointing the Principal and for determining the make-up of the academy's Local Governing Body.  The Sponsor and the Principal will then establish the ethos, strategic direction and curriculum for the new academy.

Academies are therefore independent schools but not Independent (i.e. fee-paying schools)

Recent years has seen new types of schools becoming academies including some schools that were not ‘failing' but that existed in challenging circumstances.  Also some previously Independent Schools have transformed into academies.  

There is also a wide spectrum of academy Sponsors ranging from private individuals to larger groups who sponsor several academies.  Our sponsors, The United Learning Trust (ULT) are the largest Sponsors of academies in the country and as at September 2009 our group currently totals 17 academies across the country.