If This Doesn't Prove That Academies Are Private Schools

The Academies opening in September 2008 are listed below along with sponsor and Local authority details. This information was provided by the Academies team at the DCSF.

Academy Name, Sponsor, LA
 
1.Wren Academy, Diocese of London, Barnet
2.Harris Academy Falconwood, Harris Federation, Bexley
3. Darwen Aldridge Community Academy, The Aldridge Foundation, Blackburn with Darwen
4. Ark Academy, ARK, Brent
5. Merchants' Academy, The Society of Merchant Venturers, Bristol
6. Oasis Academy, Hengrove, Oasis Community Learning, Bristol
7. Portway Academy, Oasis Community Learning, Bristol
8. Colston's Girls School, The Society of Merchant Venturers, Bristol
9. Bristol Choir Academy, School itself - Independent School joining maintained sector, Bristol
10. Grace Academy , Bob Edmiston, Coventry
11.  Oasis Academy, Coulsdon, Oasis Community Learning, Croydon
12. Richard Rose Morton Academy, Brian Scowcroft, Andrew Tinkler, University of Cumbria, Cumbria
13. Richard Rose Central Academy, Brian Scowcroft, Andrew Tinkler, University of Cumbria, Cumbria
14. Westlakes Academy, University of Lancashire, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Cumbria
15. Greensward, Greensward College, Essex
16. John Bramston, Greensward College, Essex
17. Rickstones, Greensward College, Essex
18. The Steiner Academy, Steiner School Fellowship, Hereford
19. The Hereford Academy, Hereford Diocesan Board of Education, Hereford
20. City of London Academy, Corporation of London, Islington
21. Longfield Academy, Leigh Technology Academy Trust, Kent
22. Archbishop Sentamu Academy, Diocese of York, Kingston upon Hull
23. Evelyn Grace Academy, ARK , Lambeth
24. Accrington Moorhead, ULT, Lancashire
25. The Priory LSST Academy, The Priory Fundraising Trust, Lincolnshire
26. The Priory Witham Academy, The Priory Fundraising Trust, Lincolnshire
27. The Priory City of Lincoln Academy, The Priory Fundraising Trust, Lincolnshire
28. Trent Valley Academy, British Edutrust, Lincolnshire
29. Excelsior Academy, Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay, Newcastle
30. The Open Academy, Graham Dacre, Diocese of Norwich, Norfolk
31. St Lawrence Academy, Diocese of Lincoln, North Lincolnshire
32. The Corby Business Academy, Weston Foundation, Northamptonshire
33. Brooke Weston Academy, Brooke Weston CTC Trust, Northamptonshire
34. The Samworth Church Academy, David Samworth, Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham
35. The Oxford Academy, Diocese of Oxford, Oxford
36. Oasis Academy, MediaCity UK, Oasis Community Learning, Salford
37. Q3 Academy, Eric Payne, Sandwell
38. The RSA Academy, RSA, Sandwell
39. Langley Academy, Sir Martyn Arbib, Slough
40. The CTC Kingshurst Academy, Kingshurst CTC Trust, Solihull
41. Oasis Academy Mayfield, Oasis Community Learning, Southampton
42. Oasis Academy Lord's Hill, Oasis Community Learning, Southampton
43. The Globe Academy, ARK, Southwark
44. Academy 360, Gentoo Group, Sunderland
45. New Charter Academy, New Charter Housing Group, Tameside
46. Abraham Darby Academy, Haberdashers Foundation, Telford and Wrekin
47. Pimlico Academy, FUTURE, Westminster


New Developments and emerging patterns


The involvement of religious organisations

One of the key trends to emerge from the Academies programme is the high number that are sponsored by religious organisations. Of the 47 Academies open in September 2008 14 are sponsored by a religious organisation. An additional three have sponsors with a strong religious connection.
                                                                                                                                                                                                 
The Government has long sought the involvement of the Church of England  in Academies. In February 2004 the Times Educational Supplement reported that the Government was lobbying Church of England leaders to play a leading role in the Academy programme. Andrew Adonis, senior policy adviser on public services, and Neil Flint, head of the Academies programme, told a meeting at the General Synod that the Church should become a major partner in creating Academies.

The Church of England is sponsoring seven of the Academies opening in 2008. This means that there are now 18 Church of England Academies open. There are around another 10 at feasibility stage.

The Christian Charity, Oasis Trust, opened six Academies in 2008, bringing its total number of open Academies to nine. A further two are at an advanced stage in planning.  Oasis has set up an Academies consultancy called Faithworks to help church groups set up Academies. The Oasis Trust was founded by Steve Chalke, a high-profile Baptist minister and television presenter. The Rev Chalke has said that the Oasis Trust is committed to the Faithworks charter which states that members should never impose their faith on others. He and the organisation have, however, campaigned for faith organisations to be allowed to employ only people of their religion. Faithworks also provides advice on how organisations can get round anti-gay discrimination laws. It suggests organisations "committed to upholding the sanctity of sex as being part of marriage" should include this belief in their standards of staff behaviour.

The United Learning Trust, an arm of the United Church Schools Trust (previously known as the Church Schools Company) opened one Academy in 2008. Until, now it has been the biggest single backer of the Academies programme. This position has now been taken by the Church of England.  The United Learning Trust now has 14 Academies open. An additional two are at feasibility stage.

ULT's objective is to manage schools which 'offer students a high quality education based on Christian principles of service and tolerance.'

The United Church Schools Trust  was founded as an educational charity in 1883 with the principal objective of creating schools that would offer pupils a good academic education based on Christian principles. The United Church Schools Trust set up the subsidiary United Learning Trust, which shares its head office address, specifically to manage Academies.

An additional three of the 2008 Academies will have a sponsor with a strong religious connection. Amongst these is the Grace Academy in Coventry, sponsored by Bob Edmiston. Bob Edmiston is one of the richest men in Britain and controls one of Britain's major car importing and property empires. A Pentecostal Christian, he founded the missionary charity "Christian Vision". As well as sponsoring the Grace Academy in Coventry he also sponsors the Grace Academy in Solihull.

In March 2007, it was reported in 'The Guardian' that Grace Academy in Solihull had awarded three contracts totaling £281,000 over two years for payroll and management services to the IM Group, a company owned by Bob Edmiston, who sponsors the Academy. Grace Academy also paid £53,000 to Christian Vision for management services. This organisation had been involved in circulating teaching resources on creationism to schools.

Bob Edmiston has been quoted as stating that Evolution is a theory that "came from one guy called Darwin" and says his teachers must subscribe to "Christian values". He also insists his schools will not stock JK Rowling books.

The Q3 Academy in Sandwell will be sponsored by businessman, Eric Payne, OBE, and his wife. It will specialise in design and enterprise and have a Christian ethos. Eric Payne is Founder of the Grace Foundation, a charity to support Christian work.

The British Edutrust Foundation, an education charity, is sponsoring the Trent Valley Academy in Lincolnshire. It has an additional eight Academies at feasibility stage. British Edutrust is chaired by Lord Bhatia. The Foundation states that "The ethos and values of Edutrust will support and develop a culture where students' individual faith and cultural requirements are recognised, respected and celebrated, thereby fostering the tolerance and respect for others which will lead to greater community cohesion".

The journalist Francis Beckett writing in the Morning Star newspaper on 22 September 2008 says that that originally the idea was for Edutrust to provide "Muslim education for Muslim children, aiming to do what the United Learning Trust does for the Church of England and the Vardy Foundation does for evangelical Christianity in their Academies"..

Chains and federations of Academies

A number of the Academies opening in 2008 are sponsored by organisations and individuals that are already involved in the Academies programme. These include the Ark Academy in Brent, sponsored by the international charity Absolute Return for Kids (ARK), the Oasis Academy in Bristol, sponsored by the Christian charity Oasis Trust, the Merchants' Academy in Bristol, sponsored by the Society of Merchant Venturers and the Harris Academy Falconwood in Bristol, sponsored by the Harris Federation of South London Schools.

There are now more than 40 multi Academy sponsors. Some multi-sponsors such as the Oasis Trust, the Church of England and ARK are developing more than ten Academies and their chains now account for more than half of open Academies. Writing in the Centreforum publication "Academies and the future of state education", Lord Adonis, Minister for Schools, says that a crucial role of Academy sponsors is the development of Academy chains. He writes that Academy chains are able to leverage excellent leadership, ethos, branding and curriculum across more than one Academy and to do so rapidly - are guarantors of quality, accelerating the expansion of Academies because of the ease and realiability with which the chains are able to take on new projects.

In January 2008 the DCSF launched their guidance: "Academies and Trusts: Opportunities for schools, sixth-form and FE Colleges". The guidance encourages successful schools and colleges to become involved in academies and trusts "to contribute to the wider improvement of educational standards, by entering into long-term and clearly-structured relationships with other establishments". One of the options for successful maintained schools is to become part of an academy federation under a shared Academy trust and governing body.  The emergence of federated Academies can be seen amongst those that opened in 2008 and include:

"    Greensward College in Essex  - sponsoring a three-way Academy federation with two other Essex schools under a single Academy trust, open in September 2008.  Under the Academy federation pathfinder programme, each Academy has its own governing body with an overall management board. The principal of Greensward is also chief executive officer of the three schools.

"    Priory Federation of three Academies in Lincolnshire in 2008, created from five schools (including nursery/primary schools).  The principal of the lead Priory Academy LSST will become the executive head of the three academies.)

"    The Harris Federation of South London Schools has seven Academy schools, including Harris Academy Falconwood, open in 2008. The Academies are sponsored by Lord Harris of Peckham, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Carpetright chain.

"    The Richard Rose Central Academy and the Richard Rose Morton Academy in Cumbria are joined together through a federated model. They are being sponsored by the University of Cumbria and businessmen Brian Scrowcroft and Andrew Tinkler.


The development of chains and federations of Academies means that a single unaccountable organisation or individual is responsible for a vast array of educational provision including the development of the curriculum, admissions and staff terms and conditions. The Harris Federation for example is responsible for the educational needs of 8,000 pupils with an annual budget of £50m and 800 staff.  


New sponsors

The 2008 Academies bring forward a number of new sponsors including:

Future is a charitable trust set up by Conservative Party donor John Nash. It is sponsoring the Pimlico Academy in Westminster. It funds and advises a range of projects, including the Place2Be, a school-based counselling service, and Street Pastors, a church initiative which sends uniformed volunteers out to patrol troubled inner-city areas. Future has strong connections to Alpha Plus, a management business that runs a string of private prep schools but only one secondary school, the exclusive Portland Place, in London's West End. John Nash is a former chairman of the British Venture Capital Association.
 
Gentoo Group (former known as Sunderland Housing Group) is sponsoring Academy 360 in Sunderland. Gentoo is an umbrella brand with 5 sub-brands including Gentoo Sunderland - a Housing Association, Gentoo Homes - the new-build homes division, Gentoo Living - social investment and enterprise, Gentoo Construction and the property management and development company, Gentoo Ventures.

New Charter Housing Group, a housing authority, is sponsoring the New Charter Academy in Tameside.  New Charter Housing is based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, and is one of the North West's largest Registered Social Landlords.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is a non-departmental public body responsible for the decommissioning and clean up of the UK's civil public sector nuclear site. It is sponsoring Westlakes Academy in Cumbria.

The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce (RSA) is sponsoring the RSA Academy in Sandwell. Its curriculum will be a blend of academic and vocational courses and qualifications, based on the RSA's Opening Minds competences.

The Steiner Waldorf Schools Fellowship is a member organisation for all Steiner schools and independent Steiner Early years setttings in the UK and Ireland. Steiner schools are known for their alternative approach to education, which focuses on the holistic development of the child. The Steiner School Fellowship is sponsoring the Steiner Academy in Hereford.


Further information on Academies and their sponsors can be found in the NUT's key Academies briefing document "Complete Academies briefing".