The difference between an academy and a standard school is that schools are usually being run by the local council. Academies may be state-funded schools but they are independent from local authorities meaning they aren’t run by councils. Instead, they are run by charitable trusts and cannot be run for profit. The set up at an academy means each institution can decide its own curriculums, teacher pay, term dates, school hours and more.
There are three types of academy:
Academies are still regulated despite the relative freedoms they enjoy. Oversight is provided by the National and Regional Schools Commissioners and teams, as well as the Education and Skills Funding Agency. They are also subject to Ofsted inspections and ratings like council-run schools.
With studies suggesting that academisation increases standards of education, especially in disadvantaged areas, the government is attempting to get schools to become academies under a multi-academy trust (MAT) umbrella. An MAT sees a trust oversee several schools under a single funding agreement. Some academies are supported by sponsors, including businesses, universities, faith groups, voluntary groups or other schools.
Academies can be education providers to students of all ages: primary, secondary, middle, all-through, 16-19, alternative provision and special schools. They offer GCSEs and A-levels predominantly, supplemented by Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and V Certs, which are vocational equivalents to GCSEs, at secondary school level.
As part of the funding agreement between academies the Department for Education, some academies are not under an obligation to employ teachers with formal Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). Some academies will appoint teachers with no training or experience but that display potential, while others won’t.
Freedom to explore innovative approaches to teaching is perhaps the biggest draw that an academy has to offer. This is due to the freedom that academies enjoy over the delivery of the curriculum, which has led to exam performance in academies being substantially better than in other schools, according to the National Audit Office.
Rachel De Souza, chief executive of Inspiration Trust, founded the Parents and Teachers for Excellence pro-academy campaign group, designed to mobilise teachers and parents to promote a knowledge-based curriculum, more assessment and effective discipline policies.
Rachel Wolf, a former adviser to David Cameron and education reformer involved in the influential Parents and Teachers for Excellence campaign, worked to produce a four-pronged approach. Firstly, the group believes that standards can be raised through the promotion of a knowledge-based curriculum.
Secondly, rigorous assessment should be applied to provide an effective progress measure, while the campaign group also stresses that effective behaviour policies should be implemented across all academies. The promotion of cultural enrichment activities throughout a longer school day is the final aspect of the campaign.
In terms of career progression, although anecdotal, academies (certainly in London) tend to have more junior members of the senior leadership team (SLT) and many of the middle leaders are generally of younger age.
Sources:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/10-facts-you-need-to-know-about-academies
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2021/10/14/what-is-an-academy-and-what-are-the-benefits/
https://neu.org.uk/policy/what-academy
https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2012/may/02/academies-job-application-tips
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/pro-academy-campaign-group-launched-by-superhead-rachel-de-souza-but-funders-remain-anonymous/
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