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Schools Week:
Experts News - Results are in: Academy status works for the best and worst schools, but that's about it

12 July 2016

After years of debate over the effectiveness of academy status, the Education Policy Institute has now released data which it says shows the causal impact of academy status on school performance. Editor Laura McInerney explains what the researchers found.
Does academy status lift performance in schools? It's a vital question given the country is spending millions changing schools into academies. So far there had been no answer. But a new report, commissioned by the Education Policy Institute and published today, finally provides some.
To start with the conclusions:
1. It seems that Labour forcing badly performing schools to become academies before 2012 was a good thing.
Hurray for Labour.
2. It also seems that, after 2010, letting outstanding schools convert into becoming academies was also a good thing.
Well done the Coalition.

BUT
3. For everyone else after 2010, becoming an academy doesn't seem to have had much effect. In fact, it might have made things a tiny bit worse.

So, why is there a difference between pre-2010 and post-2010 academies?

This article was published online by Schools Week on July 12, 2016
Link to article here

Related links
Olmo Silva webpage
Andrew Eyles webpage
Gabriel Heller-Sahlgren webpage
Stephen Machin webpage
Matteo Sandi webpage
Education and Skills Programme webpage

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