Industry News
Calls made for review of academies
Posted on 16th July 2007
The government needs to review the contribution that new academy schools are making to the education world, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) had said.
A better understanding of academies could provide other national and local authority initiatives, such as London Challenge and Excellence in Cities, help improve standards in secondary schools, a TUC report has said.
The report also recommends both the establishment of an independent panel including academics and education policy experts to test the government's existing programme and moves to make academies more accountable to parents, staff and local communities.
TUC general secretary Brenden Barber said: "Unless a thorough review is carried out, academies will continue to grab the headlines, while denying recognition to other initiatives that quietly get on with the business of improving the educational prospects of many of the UK's disadvantaged teenagers".
Last week the BBC reported that academies expelled pupils at twice the rate of other secondary schools last year, which the government attributed to the "challenging intakes" of pupils.