Should Primary Schools become Academies?

I attended a workshop last night looking into this proposal as the goverment is pushing for schools all over the country to look into becoming academies.  Oxfordshire is therefore preparing for this possiblity.  King Alfred's School in Wantage was one of the first schools in the county to become an academy and others are following suit.  The decision has to be taken by the Governing Body of the school and there are various hoops to go through before a decision can be made.  One of the important parts of the process is consultation with stakeholders, in particular, parents, pupils and staff of the school and of course, the wider community.

Some of the main differences between academies and those schools which stay within the Local Authority umbrella are

• Freedom from National Curriculum (though still required to be 'broad and balanced')
• Freedom from the Local Authority
• Ability to set own admissions
• Governing Body is the employer of staff
• Ability to set own pay and conditions
• Ability to change length of terms and school days
• Governing Body has total premises responsiblity and responsibility for health and safety
• Money comes as a grant direct from government rather than through LA

To find out more visit the Department for Education website