What did the Academies Commission discover about social inclusion and accountability?

Janet Downs's picture
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Many academies were committed to social inclusion, but many were not, the Academies Commission found. Some academies were manipulating admissions in their favour (see here). In order to avoid a negative impact on social inclusion as more schools become academies, the Commission recommended:

1 That an independent appeals service should be set up.

2 That academies publish comprehensive data, including the socio-economic background, of pupils who applied and those who were admitted.

3 The Schools Adjudicator should analyse this data to identify possible socio-economic segregation.

Some academies were not sufficiently accountable or responsive to parents. The Commission recommended:

1 Academies should produce public reports annually.

2 This should apply to academy chains.

3 Funding agreements with sponsors should be reviewable every five years instead of the present seven.

4 Funding agreements with sponsors should be cancelled if the collected data raises concerns and if the local authority recommends the removal of a sponsor.

It remains to be seen how many of these recommendations will be implemented by the Government.

 

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