More Academies Are On The Way

[AngryITGuy]

Or so it seems

Opt-out offer for outstanding schools

Coalition's schools plan to create 2,000 more academies

The government will allow for a rapid increase in academies - from current plans for 400 to almost 3,000.

Primary and secondary schools graded outstanding by inspectors could be fast-tracked into free-standing academies by this autumn.

And all with greater independence from local authority control!

Anyone here work in a school judged "outstanding" by OFSTED?

[broc]

I expect OFSTED will dumb-down inspections so more schools can become 'outstanding'

[Robz]

Well I currently work in an academy but I'm moving over to an "outstanding" LA School. TBH the LA school is x100000000000000000 better than the academy, giving it independence might send it downhill, private funding wouldn't really be a great improvement though I don't think.

[elsiegee40]

What's in it for the schools that choose to change?

How does this affect the grammar schools? Are they allowed to become academies and still be selective? (I'm not after an argument about whether grammars should exist BTW, I'm just trying to think through the implications in Kent... please don't take this thread OT) If the grammars can't become academies, are the pro-grammar tories putting their funding at risk?

[AngryITGuy]

What's in it for the schools that choose to change?

Not a lot as far as I can tell for the schools that are duped by the Academy Status!

Only information within the two articles keeps refering to the promise of more control for the schools as they opt out of LA control.

By taking academy status, schools will receive their funding directly from central government and will have greater autonomy over how they are run.

Don't Academies also need a business sponsorship?

Not sure on how it will affect Grammar Schools though sorry.

[sippo]

We are an outstanding school, and maybe turned into an acadamy. Hope our name doesn't change though. 1. I've just bought school polo's out of my own money. 2. It'll be hell of a lot of work changing domain name, e-mail addresses etc..

[Homer]

We're an Academy and I don't know the exact workings of it but I know we have backing from large business/investors...

[maark]

We're an Academy and I don't know the exact workings of it but I know we have backing from large business/investors...

What's in it for the businesses?

[AngryITGuy]

Queen’s Speech – Academies Bill

[torledo]

Where's the bit[s] about shiny new buildings ?

Or does that cost too much money ?

[Pottsey]

Broc said “I expect OFSTED will dumb-down inspections so more schools can become 'outstanding' ”
Well currently it’s the reverse. Since the new inspections only 9.2% of schools are classed as Outstanding while the old system has 19% as Outstanding and the amount of inadequate schools has doubled.
New Ofsted regime: 'Inadequate' schools double - News - TES Connect source

[broc]

Where's the bit[s] about shiny new buildings ?

Or does that cost too much money ?

I was talking to my HT about this; she reckons that the Govt intention is that these new Academies use their existing buildings, with minor refurbishments, nothing on the scale of New Labor Academies....

[broc]

Broc said “I expect OFSTED will dumb-down inspections so more schools can become 'outstanding' ”
Well currently it’s the reverse. Since the new inspections only 9.2% of schools are classed as Outstanding while the old system has 19% as Outstanding and the amount of inadequate schools has doubled.
New Ofsted regime: 'Inadequate' schools double - News - TES Connect source

True, and once upon a time under a previous administration Academies could only be created from failing schools..... until they found out not enough schools were interested & then they changed the rules & bullied LAs into accepting academies as part of BSF deals, so I wouldn't put anything past politicians with their 'pet' projects...... We once had Adonis, now we have Gove...

[torledo]

What's in it for the schools that choose to change?

I read in The Times the other day that apparently for a school with a budget of 5m, becoming an academy could amount to an additional 500k a year.

Don't know if that will actually be the case in the final shakeup, but surely it'd be strange if there wasn't an increased funding incentive, no ?

[RTi]

i'm slightly confused.. does becoming an Primary Academy....mean that IT will be outsourced to external companies?? like BSF or is that something else??