ACADEMIES dont know too much about them

[GabbyLoggon]

I take an interest in education. Especially the new Academies.
The Heads of these schools give totally
glowing accounts. Predictably.
I would like to read some independent views.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the ACADEMY system?

www.educationengland.org.uk/history/timeline.html

The education system is only a political football, its aim, for the government to change our thinking process and give some control. It started of basically as a charity based affair, the church, developed into small independents run by local charities / communities/authorities, these were enveloped into the LA with the 1944 education act, (1946 where they discussed how the independent schools could be incorporated into the new state system), then this system is "broken up" back into small entities, run from a central location, which won?t be able to cope and consequently dish out responsibilities to local councils, which in turn will be swallowed up by local authorities, and around we go again. It's nothing new really let?s be honest; it?s just a way of simulating "progress". (change).
It appears that lots of folk are revelling in academies as a new idea and it?s simply not when we look at history; it?s only a new name. From what I understand the only benefit of an academy is the ?power? it gives to HT?s over staff and to adjust everyone?s salary (and some governors, who might not realise what they?re getting into in terms of extra work). All the other arguments don?t seem to hold water, the most recent government inishitive, the white paper will change the system across the board
At the moment staff are protected by employment laws, etc, until the government decides that these are impeding and revokes them too!

Academies are state schools which are independent of local authorities and directly accountable to the Department for Education. They were originally intended to raise educational standards and aspirations in deprived areas, often replacing schools with long histories of under-performance. From May 2010 the Programme was opened up to all schools, creating two types of academy: 'sponsored' academies, usually established to raise educational standards at under performing schools in deprived areas; and 'converters' created from other types of school, with outstanding schools permitted to convert first. By 5 January 2011, there were 407 academies: 271 sponsored and 136 converters..
There is a clear difference between sponsored academies seeking to raise educational standards in deprived areas and the new converter academies, which already perform well academically.
sponsored academies have performed impressively to date, achieving rapid academic improvements and raising aspirations in some of the most deprived areas in the country. In many cases this has been achieved through high-quality leadership, (effective school leadership in the future will need to be more transformational, participative and adaptable. As school autonomy increased so the post of headteacher became more complex which, in turn, is cascaded into the working lives of other members of staff.), a relentless focus on standards, (high quality and standards are not necessarily the same thing. The focus on quality inevitably focuses on the learner as opposed to other stakeholders, such as political parties or even the media, who appear to be more concerned with ?results? than the educational and social development of young people.), and innovative approaches to learning and to the school timetable; (Schools, by necessity, are very creative, and innovative approaches have been used to solve what might seem to be the most insurmountable of difficulties. The will is there, staff are enthusiastic, the children are motivated and the learning is inspirational.).
Many academies have inadequate financial controls and governance to assure the proper use of public money, and the DfE and YPLA have not been sufficiently rigorous in requiring compliance with guidance.
As the Programme expands, there are increased risks to value for money and proper use of public money.
The Department has failed to collect all the financial contributions due from sponsors.
The Department and the Agency have struggled to administer and monitor the relatively small number of academies to date, and must now cope with a rapid expansion across many more schools.