What do you think about academies?
Do you think converting schools into academies is a good idea? Which of these statements best reflects your opinion?
- 6% said I think it’s a good idea to convert more schools into academies. They offer more autonomy and financial flexibility.
- 34% said I don’t have a problem with academies, but I don’t think that schools should be forced to convert.
- 6% said I don’t know enough to make a decision at the moment.
- 54% said I think academies are a bad idea. They don’t have enough public accountability and we don’t need more board members and executives in education.
Comments
said on 22 May 2016
Being forced is the beginning of education being privatised which cannot be allowed to happen.
said on 18 May 2016
I think being an academy may become a social stigma that may segregate 'good' from 'inadequate' schools almost like a class system. It also endangers good schools that have converted to academies from being painted with the same brush as schools that are not performing.
said on 17 May 2016
As a small rural primary school in an under-funded county - we are at serious risk because of the financial implications of converting. We are also a Church school which has a whole host of other concerns in converting.
said on 15 May 2016
The problem is that it feels like our LEA is being wound down so they can't offer the support they use to, due to the funding being given to just a few Academies in the area. We are too small to become an independent academy but do not want to loose our feeling of identity which would happen if we joined a commercial academy group or even joined in with a group of other small schools. Schools shouldn't be forced to convert and should feel that the LEA is funded enough to continue to offer appropriate support.
said on 14 May 2016
No evidence that academies raise standards.
said on 13 May 2016
Schools should reflect the needs of the communities that they serve and those communities should have the last say on the kind of schools that they want. Government interference with education which results in needless change with succesive parliaments damages our education system greatly.
said on 13 May 2016
I think acadamies are not good for most schools. I wish politicians would stop trying to privatise education. Many points worry me about acadamies:- The amount of money creamed off by board members, leaving less for educating children. The lack of governor and parental influences. If MAT incorporate Primary, the lack of understanding of how different aged children learn by many of the trust leaders. The transfer of public land and buildings to private/ charitable trusts, amounting to billions (these are taxpayers resources just being transferred). The use of unqulified teaching staff and the payment of staff. How pupils are selected and how SEN will be looked after. The waste of money not only legal costs but costs in regard to names, letter heading and all those unecessary changes, which should be being spent on children. I could go on, obviously some schools have benefited, however the money spent acadamising could have been spent on improving with the same results. At the end of the day there is no evidence that academies out perform LEA schools in fact much points in the opposite direction. All we will get is huge trusts replacing LEA's and then nothing will have been achieved except for political ends and money wasted which could be used for educating children.
Law said on 7 October 2016
It's still a place where youngsters are to be educated whatever it's called.