Figures published last week by the government reveal that a total of 371 secondary schools are now academies, meaning that 11% of all secondary schools in England are working independently of local authority control. Just over 200 schools have been converted into academies since education secretary Michael Gove pushed through the legislation, the majority of which are schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.
The announcement has been met with mixed emotions. The government has, as Conor Ryan pointed out earlier on the PF Blog, claimed these figures as a mark of Gove’s success and the previous Labour administration’s failings in this area. Teachers’ unions, on the other hand, have reacted with less enthusiasm, worried that an unaccountable system of state education has been created, with schools risking falling foul of private sector profit motives.
According to the reports in the news, this number is only set to increase; indeed, some figures show that over 1,900 schools have already expressed an interesting in converting – including, for the first time, primary schools. The argument is that the academy programme leads to greater freedom around many aspects of day-to-day management, such as staff pay and reward, the provision of pastoral and academic support, and ensuring curriculum content is strong and relevant. However, there are several risks to be considered so that future conversions do not fail.
Clearly, funding and profit motives should not be ignored, but equally pressing are issues of relevant experience and knowledge. Suddenly, as schools lose the oversight of their local authority, the board of governors find themselves with hugely increased levels of responsibility and a much larger remit. They will likely be called upon to make new and more significant decisions.
Undoubtedly this will, in many cases, be an incredibly positive development, creating a pool of expertise and ‘fresh’ ideas from which to draw. However, school management teams should not ignore the fact that this is unchartered territory for many governors and not all have the immediate background knowledge and experience on which to draw.
To ensure that conversions happen as smoothly as possibly, it will be imperative for all parties involved to maintain a tight focus in the initial six to 18 months of the process. Where necessary, ‘teach-ins’ and knowledge exchange sessions could be organised and regular communication must be encouraged, allowing those with a stronger background to share their experiences.
Academies hold huge potential for this country’s state education system, particularly when it comes to improving schools that are of concern to Ofsted. But ultimately, for this potential to be fully unlocked, we must not let the enthusiasm of the initial figures distract us from the task at hand.
There are rewards to be reaped here but head teachers, governors and private contractors alike must be prepared for hard work, as, without holistic risk planning, regular communication and thorough oversight, we could be creating more problems than we solve, clearly undesirable when it is primary and secondary education at stake.
Andrew Jepp is director of public services at Zurich Municipal
