academisation | Schools Week

Academy avoids rebrokering threat until third ‘inadequate’ rating

The leeway given to Nuneaton Academy raised eyebrows, with other academies and maintained schools facing swifter intervention

Archdiocese ‘ruling by diktat’ as schools told to academise by 2023

The Archbishop of Birmingham has said academisation is an “essential” reform to protect Catholic education

Ofsted boost for school in ‘David and Goliath’ court battle against academisation

A ‘good’ rating takes Yew Tree Primary School a step closer to resisting academisation after it took the DfE to court

Council ditches ‘forced’ academisation plan as Zahawi softens stance

Tory-led Swindon had proposed to convert all schools to academies by 2025 before a U-turn

Williamson’s ‘irrational’ refusal to revoke academy order quashed by High Court

The education secretary’s refusal to revoke an academy order for a primary school in the West Midlands has been ruled “irrational” and quashed by the High Court. Governors of Yew Tree Primary School in Sandwell brought a judicial review of a decision by education secretary Gavin Williamson to refuse to revoke the order imposed on […]

Academy transfers fall to four-year low during pandemic

The government has spent £38.8 million moving academies between trusts since 2014, official figures show, but transfers fell to a four-year low during the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysis of new Department for Education data shows a significant drop in academies switching trusts over the past financial year, with both voluntary transfers and forced rebrokering drying up […]

RSC headteacher boards rebranded as fresh elections loom

The headteacher boards which advise regional schools commissioners are set for a rebrand, as fresh elections loom for the roles overseeing the academy system. A tender notice for a contractor to run elections between September and March refers to “regional advisory boards”, with four roles up for grabs in each of the eight areas covered […]

Academy trusts’ cash stash rises to £3bn despite pandemic pressures

Academy trusts boosted their reserves and surpluses last year despite the upheaval of Covid, official figures show. New Department for Education data confirms a 20 per cent jump in the average trust’s reserves, up from £0.96 million a year earlier to £1.15 million. The figures cover the year to the end of last August however, […]

MATs move to centralise in wake of Covid pressures, study finds

Many multi-academy trusts have moved to centralise HR, finance, health and safety and other policies in the wake of the pandemic, a new study suggests. While only 15 trusts of mixed sizes in the Midlands took part in the research, it points to a potentially significant development for the sector if replicated more widely. Trusts […]