Report on academies

Commmenting on the report by PricewaterhouseCoopers on academies, Steve Sinnott, NUT General Secretary, said:

“It is remarkable that the DfES turns to expensive managements consultants for an overview of the quality of teaching and learning in academies instead of OFSTED. Indeed, OFSTED has been told to delay its first reports on them.

“There are disturbing issues which PWC highlight such as confusion over special educational needs, poor behaviour and bullying which had academies not been excluded from receiving local authority support could have been addressed.

“The Government has sought to spin the most optimistic picture of the report but the fundamental criticisms remain. There has been a high turnover of head teachers and one of the first three academies has been placed in special measures. Even this highly spun report concedes that five out of the 11 academies covered have shown little or no improvement in performance.

“Academies are not accountable to their local communities despite spending millions of  pounds of taxpayers money. Only their sponsors and the DfES can have a say in the way they run. They do not have to employ qualified teachers.

 “The Government is blackmailing education authorities into establishing ecademies in their areas. It is holding back money to build new schools from those authorities which refuse to toe the line.

“There is nothing surprising in the finding that pupils and parents support their new schools. The same would be the result if parents and pupils of any new school were asked the same questions.”