academies | Schools Week

MAT inquiry: Academy trust CEOs give evidence to education committee

The parliamentary education committee heard today from eight witnesses about multi-academy trusts (MATs) and their role, size, governance and performance. In front of the cross-party group of MPs for the first session were Sir Steve Lancashire, chief executive of Reach2 academy trust; David Moran, chief executive of E-Act; Lucy Heller, chief executive of Ark; and […]

Results are in: Academy status works for the best and worst schools, but that’s about it

After years of debate over the effectiveness of academy status, the Education Policy Institute has now released data which it says shows the causal impact of academy status on school performance. Editor Laura McInerney took a look at explains what the researchers found. Does academy status lift performance in schools? It’s a vital question […]

Executive Headteachers: what’s in a name?

The government does not know how many executive headteachers are actually working in academies, a new report has claimed, raising concerns over how it will meet future demand for up to 6,000 more senior leaders. Executive Headteachers: what’s in a name? found “limitations” with how the government records executive heads in the school workforce census. […]

What happens to our existing governing body if we join an existing multi-academy trust?

Question: What happens to our existing governing body if we join an existing multi-academy trust? Christine says: That’s a really good question because what happens to your governing body can depend on the trust you are joining. The powers trusts delegate down to local governing bodies vary across a spectrum that on one side sees […]

Special schools are being ‘left out’ by academy system

Special schools are at risk of being “lost” as the government moves towards an all-academy system, a special educational needs and disability (SEND) school leader has warned. Simon Knight, deputy headteacher at Frank Wise school in Oxford (pictured), said he was worried that multi-academy trusts (MATs) saw secondary and primary schools as their “leader” and […]

Prince Henry’s Grammar and Manchester Creative Studio warned about finances

The government has published letters outlining financial concerns at academies in west Yorkshire and Manchester. The Department for Education has this afternoon published financial notices to improve issued by the Education Funding Agency to the Otley Prince Henry’s Academy Trust and Manchester Creative Studio on May 23, and June 6, respectively. The notices serve as official warnings about the […]

NUT delivers ultimatum to government over strike action

The government must fund schools sufficiently, tell academies to observe national terms and conditions and promise “meaningful talks” to avoid strike action by teachers next week, the National Union of Teachers has said. In a letter to the education secretary Nicky Morgan, the union’s acting general secretary Kevin Courtney has expressed regret that next Tuesday’s […]

Sixth-form colleges warned not to rush into multi-academy trusts

Sixth-form colleges should not rush into partnerships with schools to create all-through academy trusts, a sector leader has warned. Schools Week revealed last week how 60 of the 93 sixth-form colleges in England had told the government they were interested in becoming academies. Their interest follows a rule change that allowed the institutions to avoid paying VAT […]

EXCLUSIVE: Resignations leave AET board ‘struggling’

The boss of the country’s largest multi-academy trust has admitted it will struggle to run key committees after the chair stood down and six trustees quit. According to Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), former chair Jude Chin (pictured) has taken over as the new vice-chair following the resignations in late May of former vice chair Ian […]