Michael Gove invites all schools to apply to become academies

Michael Gove announced that the Government will open up the Academies programme to all schools including, for the first time, primary schools and special schools. He also pledged to make the process of becoming an academy quicker and less bureaucratic, removing local authority powers to block schools that want to become academies.

Schools that are rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted will be fast tracked through the process.

Subject to Parliamentary approval of the Academies Bill, the first tranche of these academies will open in September 2010 and schools that become academies will enjoy:

• freedom from local authority control
• the ability to set their own pay and conditions for staff
• freedom from following the National Curriculum
• greater control of their budget
• greater opportunities for formal collaboration with other public and private organisations
• freedom to change the length of terms and school days
• freedom to spend the money the local authority currently spends on their behalf.

These freedoms will be in addition to system-wide reductions in bureaucracy due to be announced shortly. This will shift power from central and local government back to heads and schools.

Department for Education 26th May 2010

To read entire article go to http://www.education.gov.uk/news/press-notices-new/academiesannouncement

Added on: 31/05/2010