City academies
A teachers' leader says his union has hardened its opposition to government plans for 200 city academies.
Steve Sinnott of the National Union of Teachers said academies would seek to keep out children who did not get good results or had learning difficulties.
A resolution to the union's annual conference calls for a campaign against government plans to have 200 of the independent state schools in
The government says the academies must take pupils of all abilities.
Government Response: Department for Education and Skills
A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said: "Academies had to comply with the law on admissions and cater for children of all abilities.
"The code of practice doesn't allow academies to cherry-pick pupils.
"They were local schools for local people."
Stakeholder Response: National Union of Teachers
Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the NUT, said: "The easiest way in which you can make it appear that you are successful is by changing the children, not by changing what you actually do.
"Children who are seen as likely to depress the test results for the school will go elsewhere.
"It should not surprise us that academies may be in a position whereby they would encourage some and exclude others with special educational needs."
Stakeholder Response: Secondary Heads Association
A spokesman for the SHA said: "With academies, the government should be given credit for attempting to tackle the problems of the schools serving the most disadvantaged communities – something previous governments have failed to do.
"However the jury is still out on the success of the academy programme. Clearly some academies have had a positive impact and, provided that they are part of a coherent structure within the local family of schools, they can offer advantages.
"Academies, like any other initiative, must be properly piloted and judged in the context of the community of schools. SHA hopes that the government will allow time for a thorough evaluation of the programme to date so that upcoming academies can learn from the experience of their predecessors."
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