Numpties guide to becoming an academy

[MoaningMinnieRisesAgain]

Can someone direct me to some useful info about becoming an academy? Our school may be considering this soon. I understand that there would either need to be a sponsor or a church involved (they are not going to be a converter(?) or go it alone)

I have only been able to find either a very simplistic over view or very complicated detailed stuff - could really use something in-between

Or if your school has become an academy do you have have opinions on it - better/worse, what changes except for the ubiquitous blazers Is there a benefit for the children or does it just really mean privatising the school and somebody somewhere gets rich off the back of it? It's a primary (community school) at the moment.

One more bit - if a community school became a faith school/academy would that be weird to you? I chose the school because it is not a faith school but I understand that there are no 'secular' schools as such. Thanks for any suggestions.

What sort of school is it, primary or secondary? It makes a difference.

schools no longer need sponsors to become academies
go to the dfee site and start reading

Primary. I have had a look at the DFE site, but can't get my head around why the Government seem to feel that academies will get better results by not having to follow the national curriculum that they set . If the NC is wrong, surely they should change the curriculum. Maybe I just don't 'get it'

My background is NHS, it seems like the equivalent of becoming a foundation trust from what I can see, but I am not sure if I am understanding it correctly - they can set their own terms and conditions rather than the usual national agreements etc, outsource stuff. That's why it seems like privatisation I suppose.

changing to an academy is all about money and politics and nothing to do with learning
Gove wants to break the LEAs - as Thatcher broke ILEA
when the chickens come home to roost, chances are the schools will buy most of the same services back in from the streamlines LEAs
and they can dump the NC all they like - but league tables are not going away ....

I didn't want to sound too cynical but it's not just me not 'getting it' then, is it. All I can see is there must be some tory cronies somewhere raking it in over this.

Everywhere I have looked for information has about three lines of scant information then - please book a seminar/training day for your school at £150 a pop or something, to find out more.

That's why I am asking here

Remember that academies were originally a Labour policy and Blair wanted to do what Gove is now doing. New academies, unlike those set up under the last government, generally don't have sponsors and cannot be run by profit making companies. I don't think there are any tory cronies raking it in over this.

prh
Oh how I wish you were right!
People I know (from the avaricious end of accountancy) have set up companies that offer "LEA services with private sector expertise" to converter academies ....

Academies were a Labour policy, but not on the scale nor with the degree of bullying and stealth that is evident under Gove's rule.

Schools judged to be 'outstanding' by Ofsted can choose to convert (without a sponsor) - it has largely been secondary schools which have chosen to do this, mainly because of the cash bribe which is no longer available. Economies of scale mean that being a stand alone converter is unrealistic for primary schools (only 3% have chosen to convert), which is why they're so attractive to the academy chains.

You're absolutely right to be sceptical about claims for academies performance or any notion of 'freedom' from the national curriculum. Actually, academies perform less well overall than other types of schools and there's little freedom in being shackled to a sponsor.

They are not considering going it alone and it's not an 'outstanding' school, which is why going with either a sponsor or becoming a faith school seem to be the options. It has improved recently which is why I think they are looking at academy status then it will look like becoming an academy is what improved it even though the improvements have already started

I appreciate all the feedback, it has been really useful.

Exactly. Improving schools are exactly what the academy chains want to get their hands on, for the reasons you give.