4 Academies' impact on their community
22. Academies are one of a number of possible responses
to problems of very low achievement in schools in deprived areas.
Some more affluent areas also have poorly performing schools,
but the problems are usually easier to solve and improvements
can be achieved in other ways. Through the Building Schools for
the Future programme, the Department intends to renew all secondary
schools over a 15-year period, so setting up an academy is not
the only means to renew a school building. Some deprived areas
such as Hartlepool have achieved big improvements without setting
up any academies.[51]
23. Academies are independent of local authorities,
as will be schools that gain trust status.[52]
Local authorities' role in the schools sector generally is becoming
more strategic, with less involvement in the day-to-day running
of schools and more emphasis on securing the right mix of schools
for their area. Establishing an academy can present the local
authority with other opportunities to meet local needs, for example
by looking beyond education provision to identify other community
services that could be located within an academy building. For
example, an academy might provide space for a children's centre
or for social workers.[53]
24. An intention of the Academies programme is for
the new buildings to be used by the local community. Academies
had been liable to pay VAT on their entire building cost, where
paid-for usage exceeded 10% of the available area, time or people
using the building. As a result, local communities have not been
able to derive maximum benefit from their buildings. The same
VAT regulations also affected newly built voluntary aided schools.[54]
The 2007 Budget Statement announced in March 2007 that the Government
would remove VAT constraints for current academies and all those
planned for the future, to further the effectiveness and value
for money of the Academies programme.[55]
25. In considering whether to support the establishment
of one or more academies, local authorities should take account
of any need to rationalise secondary school places. Local authorities
monitor the number of surplus places in their area, and provide
annual statistics to the Department. In January 2006, 7% of the
3,485,000 secondary school places were surplus (including sixth-form
places in secondary schools but not including any places in academies,
city technology colleges or further education colleges). When
a new academy is first proposed, the Department requires the 'Expression
of Interest' to provide an analysis of the impact of the proposed
academy on the number of school places in the area.[56]
26. In 17 cases examined by the National Audit Office,
the academies could be expected to reduce the number of surplus
places. For example, Djanogly City Academy, Nottingham, replaced
a city technology college and another secondary school, but the
capacity of the academy was much less than the total capacity
of its two predecessor schools. In other cases, it was less clear
what effect the academy would have, because the impact on the
number of pupils requiring places in the area was not known, for
example because a relatively high number of children were attending
schools in the independent sector or in neighbouring authorities.[57]
27. The Government made a commitment that 60 of the
first 200 academies should be in London. In September 2006, 23
of the 46 open academies had been established in London, and the
National Audit Office's analysis of the location of existing and
planned academies showed that there were fewer academies in the
north of England than might be expected. While the levels of deprivation
alone do not justify London having such a high proportion of academies,
there are special circumstances such as shortages of school places
in parts of London and many pupils travelling to a school in a
different borough. Much of the early interest from sponsors was
also concentrated in London. The Department considers that there
will be a greater spread of academies across England as the programme
expands. More local authorities are planning to set up, and some
to sponsor, academies.
28. Academies are expected to improve the performance
of neighbouring schools within four years of opening, for example
by the academy collaborating with other secondary schools in the
area as part of a 'family' of schools. The National Audit Office's
survey of neighbouring secondary schools showed, however, that
there had been little collaboration yet, with fewer than half
of the neighbouring schools reporting that they had met with senior
managers at academies and none having used the academies' sports
facilities.[58] Academies
had given early priority to the internal performance of the academy
before starting to make such links.[59]
29. One objective of the Academies programme is to
increase the proportion of students who stay in education beyond
the age of 16. The City Academy in Bristol is an example of an
academy that is working with other providers and schools to introduce
the new 14-19 specialised diplomas.[60]
Forty-two of the first 46 academies have a sixth form, generally
in response to views, for example of the sponsor, that having
a sixth form helps raise students' aspirations to stay in education.[61]
There is a risk however that a new sixth form could reduce the
viability of existing sixth form providers in the area. North
East Lincolnshire has three academies, all with sixth forms, in
addition to the two existing post-16 providers; and the academies
have plans to provide vocational sixth-form education opportunities
to encourage pupils to stay on who might not otherwise have chosen
to remain in education after 16. The Department believes that
the new academies will increase the staying on rate among students
in the area, in part by expanding the choice available.[62]
51 C&AG's Report, para 3.9; Qq 75, 113 Back
52
The Education and Inspections Act 2006 enables all schools to
become Trust schools by forming links with external partners.
Trust schools will own their own assets, employ their own staff,
set their admission arrangements, and be able to apply for additional
flexibilities. More information is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/publications/educationandinspectionsact
Back
53
Qq 13, 20 Back
54
C&AG's Report, paras 3.47-3.49; Qq 21-26 Back
55
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/budget/budget_07/bud_bud07_speech.cfm Back
56
Qq 42-43; Ev 20 Back
57
Qq 42-43; Ev 20 Back
58
C&AG's Report, para 2.31 Back
59
Q 41 Back
60
Qq 41, 57 Back
61
C&AG's Report, para 2.16; Q 56 Back
62
Qq 58-60 Back
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