Parliamentary business online:
Select committees: Academies and free schools
28 January 2015
3. The growth in the number of academies and free schools and the significance of their impact on the educational landscape in England led us to decide that it would be timely to undertake a major inquiry into this area. We therefore put out a call for evidence on the following aspects of the academies and free schools programme:
• The effectiveness of academisation in narrowing the gap for disadvantaged children, and what further steps should be taken within the academies system to bring about a transformational impact on student outcomes;
• The process for approving, compelling and establishing academies and free schools, including working with sponsors;
• The role of the Secretary of State in intervening in and supporting failing academies, and how this role will work as the programme expands;
• The functions and responsibilities in relation to academies and free schools of local authorities and other organisations operating between the Secretary of State and individual schools; what these functions and responsibilities should be; and what gaps there are in support for schools at this level;
• What role academy chains play or should play in the new school landscape; how accountable they are; and what issues they raise with regard to governance arrangements;
• The appropriateness of academy status for primary schools and what special factors apply; and what evidence there is that academy status can bring value for money either for individual primary schools or for the system as a whole;
• What alternatives to sponsored academy status should be offered to failing primary schools.
5. We have benefitted from the expertise and assistance of two special advisers appointed specifically for this inquiry (Professor Becky Francis and Professor Stephen Machin) and of our standing adviser on education matters (Professor Alan Smithers).[5]
This article was published online by Parliamentay Business on Tuesday 23 June. Link to article here
Related links
Stephen Machin webpage
Labour Markets Programme webpage
Stephen Machin CEP publications webpage