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News archive - September 2009

Govt waives up-front payment for Academy sponsors

THERE will no longer be a financial requirement for new Academy sponsors for schools opening from September 2011.Instead of investing the £2m up-front sponsorship, organisations will need to demonstrate a sound educational track record along with the requisite skills and leadership.

The changes are intended to smooth the path to creating chains of state schools under single management as proposed in June’s Schools White Paper, and builds on the success of abolishing the fee for universities, further education, college and high performing school sponsors.

“Academy sponsorship has never just been about the money,” said Children’s Secretary Ed Balls. “We want the people and organisations with the right skills and leadership to come into the Academy programme. Scrapping the £2m sponsorship has led to a boom in the number of universities, schools and colleges coming in – so it makes sense to do the same for the voluntary and private sector.”

The proposals for how Academy sponsors will be accredited will be published for consultation in the autumn – with the first selected under it in spring 2010 in time for the academies to open in 2011. Sponsors will have to prove outstanding management skills; a clear commitment to working with parents, teachers, and pupils; and capacity and potential to drive up educational standards.

Sponsors will still be expected to make serious and sustained financial commitment – with financial commitments for existing projects, past the expression of interest stage, to be honoured and sponsors will be encouraged to set up endowment funds to drive up standards – as is the case in US universities.

The teaching unions remain sceptical about the Academies programme. Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said the idea of interested companies simply having to prove they have the necessary skills and leadership to run an Academy really does not stand up to scrutiny. “One of the latest Academies to open is being sponsored by Aston Villa Football Club. I defy anyone to suggest that a football club can know more about the running of schools than a local education authority.

“Where the focus needs to lie is on strategies which will genuinely help children from socially deprived backgrounds, rather than feeding a burgeoning two-tier system. The evidence does not support the Academies programme as the only or even the best route to school improvement.”

Others expressed similar concerns about the prospect of an expanding and yet unproven Academies programme. Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: “There is no evidence to demonstrate that academies do any better or worse than the generality of schools or that handing over governance and management and previously public assets to sponsors makes any material difference to the standard of education.”

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