Frequently Asked Questions

View Page Summary

This list of questions covers many of the most common ones asked about Academy generally. It also includes answers to questions submitted by Corby Community College Students. If you have a question on any topic that is not covered here click on the link 'unable to find an answer to your question', and your question will be sent to us.

Hide Page Summary

Unable to find an answer to your question?

Frequently Asked Questions by Students

What are Academies ?

Academies are publicly funded independent schools that provide a first class free education to local students of all abilities. They are established in communities by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups working with partners from the local community to replace schools with a history of low achievement.

Academies provide a teaching and learning environment that is in line with the best in the maintained sector and offer a broad and balanced curriculum to students of all abilities, focusing especially on one of more subject areas (specialisms). As well as providing the best opportunities for the most able students and those needing additional support, Academies have a key part to play in the regeneration of communities and raising standards in the most disadvantaged areas through innovative approaches to management, governance, teaching and the curriculum.

How are Academies different from mainstream schools?

Academies raise standards by innovative approaches to management, governance, teaching and the curriculum, with facilities in line with the very best in the maintained sector. They have a special emphasis on one or more areas of the curriculum, such as sport, science and technology, modern foreign languages, construction, engineering, business and enterprise or the arts. They also have the flexibility to be creative with timetabling and organisation, for example in the length of the school day. For example, Corby Business Academy will be specialising in business and enterprise and will ensure students have access to real and relevant learning opportunities from the world of work throughout their time at the Academy.

Who runs an Academy?

Academies are set up as charitable companies. They are run by governors, including governors to represent parents and the local community, as well as charity governors, who are responsible for the day to day running of the school.

What are the criteria for a school to become an Academy?

Attainment - fewer than 30% of students achieved 5 GCSEs at Grade A*-C including English and maths. Deprivation - students are drawn, on average, from wards in the 20% most deprived in the country, according to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Index of Multiple Deprivation.

In the case of newly created Academies, again these are targeted at areas of educational need and are built in areas where the local average GCSE rate is below 30%. In addition, a wider range of criteria is used to assess which schools would benefit most from Academy status, including value-added scores, free school meals and special measures. Independent schools wishing to join the maintained sector may also be eligible for Academy status.

What is the future for the Academies Programme?

If Academies are to succeed they must be seen as one of the options open to LAs in considering how they will raise standards in underachieving areas.

The DfES expect to have at least 200 Academies in the pipeline by 2010 with 60 in London by 2010. Additional Academies will be rolled out in future years where there are particular problems with low performance in secondary schools.

What happens if an Academy does not open when it should?

It is very unlikely that an Academy would not open when it was expected to. The Department monitors closely the implementation of the Academy proposals and is aware of progress throughout. If it became aware that there was likely to be a delay, then it would ensure appropriate remedial action was taken (e.g. agree with all parties a deferral of opening, with the predecessor school remaining open for an extended time; appoint additional trustees to the charity to strengthen effective management; provide support to the project to ensure it delivered on time; etc). Corby Business Academy is currently on schedule to open in September 2008.

How will Academies raise standards?

Academies are an integral part of the Government's strategy for raising standards in the most disadvantaged and challenging areas. They will raise standards by innovative approaches to management, governance, teaching and the curriculum. The involvement of sponsors from the voluntary and business sector or faith groups will allow them to bring their skills and expertise to each Academy.

How will Academies make a difference to student achievement?

Academies give every student the chance to fulfil their potential and to achieve the highest standards of which they are capable. They offer a special emphasis on one area of the curriculum, such as sport, science and technology, modern foreign languages, business and enterprise or the arts. Academies are centres of excellence sharing their expertise and facilities with other local schools and the community. They have sponsors from the voluntary sector, business or faith groups, who bring their skills and expertise from outside education and will contribute to the school.

Are Academies selective schools?

Academies are all-ability schools. Corby Business Academy has drawn up its admissions policy in full consultation with the LA and will continue to provide education for students living within the area from which Corby Community College draws its students, as well as offering some places to new students moving in to new housing developments to the north and east of the town in due course. The Academy will specialise in business and enterprise, but will not select 10% of its students on the basis of their aptitude for the specialism.

The admission arrangements have been agreed with the Secretary of State as a condition of the funding agreement and are consistent with the code of practice on admissions and with admissions law.

Do students attending an academy follow the national curriculum?

Students attending an academy follow a broad and balanced curriculum, with a specialism in one or more areas. Academies are not bound by the National Curriculum, however, they must teach the core subjects and carry out key stage 3 (KS3) assessment in English, maths and science.

Do Academies admit students with statements of Special Educational Needs?

Yes. Academies are fully inclusive schools and their funding agreement sets out how they are required to follow admission law to cater for children of all abilities. They cannot cherry pick their intake, must have regard to the SEN code of practice and statutory guidance on inclusion. An Academy's independent status does not affect parents' rights to appeal to SEN and Disability Tribunals. Corby Business Academy will incorporate the Designated Special Provision (DSP) facility that is currently based at Corby Community College and will continue to work closely with the Local Authority.

What happens to staff at a school replaced by an academy?

Where Academies replace existing schools there will in many cases be a transfer of undertakings under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (TUPE). In such cases, the staff of the closing school have the right to transfer to the academy on their existing terms and conditions, as set out in the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions document.

Academies are schools in challenging circumstances. Are there dangers that Ofsted inspections or HMI visits may generate negative judgements or publicity before Academies have a chance to demonstrate success?

Ministers feel it is right to be realistic about Academies and what they will achieve, and thus feel that we should be confident in the face of external scrutiny. It is, after all, appropriate that an important and expensive national initiative is properly monitored and evaluated. One should not though, underestimate the impact of any negative publicity to both individual Academies and the programme. DfES emphasis in the early years, as we move towards substantially higher levels of achievement, will be to focus on progress in the context of difficult circumstances, and also to be sure that we have robust systems in place to identify potential risks and assist the projects, where appropriate, in avoiding difficulties.

How soon do you expect Academies to show real improvement in educational standards?

Academies are schools where students want to learn and where the teachers have high expectations of each and every student. Good teaching, excellent facilities and motivated students deliver real improvements in educational standards. Department for Education and Skills (DfES) do not expect Academies to be an overnight success, given the legacy of underachievement that they may have to overcome, however Academies have already begun to show a year on year improvement in their academic results.

How are you assessing the progress of the Academies that are open? Have they been inspected by Ofsted yet?

The Academies Division at the DfES has a team of advisers who work closely with Academies to monitor their progress and give support and advice. The DfES has an agreement with Ofsted that they will inspect new Academies, under Section 3 of the School Inspections Act 1996, in the 5th or 6th term of their existence. DfES have commissioned an extensive longitudinal evaluation of the Academies programme. The evaluation will be carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and will take place over a number of years (around 5 years). The evaluation will measure the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and impact of the Academies Programme, against a number of clear objectives.

Why involve sponsors in running schools?

Sponsors contribute to the initial cost of the Academy and that is important. But more important is their relationship, their partnership with the school and what they can bring to it. The involvement of sponsors in running Academies maximises the benefits that can be derived from a partnership with business and other non-government partners. The different perspective that sponsors can bring to both the basic curriculum and curriculum extension and enrichment activities is key to the change in culture and attitude required to break the cycle of underachievement. Sponsors can give extra focus and sharpness to the management of Academies. Academies have governors responsible for running the school in the interests of the students and community. Sponsors do not make a profit and the schools do not charge fees.

Is there a time limit on how long sponsors have control over an Academy?

Ministers feel that it should be for Academy sponsors themselves to dictate the length of time they remain actively involved in Academies. Sponsors contribute an essential drive and focus to Academy governance and bring a refreshingly different and innovative approach to management. Importantly, they also bring a degree of stability and consistency which many of the predecessor schools that Academies have replaced did not enjoy. There is no reason, while sponsors still wish to actively contribute this energy and effort, for them not to do so. There are many examples of sponsors of City Technology Colleges, such as Brooke Weston, which have been running for over 15 years, still making an active contribution and several of these have carried this forward in to the Academies programme. They bring significant benefits to these institutions, such input should not be artificially curtailed by having finite durations to their involvement.

Are Academies an erosion of Local Authorities' (LAs) powers?

Academies create an additional option for LAs to help raise standards for schools facing challenging circumstances. In every new academy and project the LA concerned is involved and supports the plans.

How are Academies accountable to their local communities?

Academies are at the heart of their communities, and the DfES expect them to be established in consultation with local stakeholders. DfES have been encouraged by the public response to the first Academies opening and the development of future Academies. Local interests are represented on the governing body.

Academies are local schools for local children. The governing body and the headteacher have responsibility for managing the academy. Stakeholders including staff, parents, and LA representatives, as well as the sponsor's nominees, make up the governing body. As trustees the governing body has a public duty to act in the interests of the academy and not the sponsors. Their accountability will be similar to many maintained schools.

Will opening an Academy adversely affect other schools in the area?

Quite the opposite. Academies will be part of the local family of schools, sharing their facilities and expertise with other schools and the wider community, contributing to raising standards across the whole area.

Will students from a school replaced by an Academy be guaranteed a place there?

Yes. Student at Corby Community College have the option of transferring to Corby Business Academy.

Will my child be able to attend an Academy?

Academies serve the whole community – they are local schools for local children. They have to publish their admissions criteria and meet the Admissions Code of Practice.

The admission arrangements for each academy are agreed with the Secretary of State as a condition of the funding agreement and are consistent with the code of practice on admissions and with admissions law. The admissions criteria will be consistent with policies approved by the local admissions forum.

Will I have to pay for my child to attend an Academy?

There are no fees charged to attend an Academy.

Do Academies receive more funding than maintained schools?

Ministers are very clear that there must be parity of funding with schools in the maintained sector that operate in similar circumstances. Otherwise, those schools could justifiably argue that they are being treated inequitably. We want to ensure that funding will allow Academy innovations to be replicated in other schools.

Is the Academies programme expensive?

Academies are not just about new buildings, but the buildings are important. Many of these children have grown up feeling worthless; that they have nothing. Academies will change this perception. They will have school buildings that are comparative with the best in the maintained sector.

In addition, the quality of most predecessor school buildings is poor and refurbishment is often not a cost effective solution. The resulting buildings are all very different. But they are all tailored round the curriculum and their specialism. They will all be good places to teach and to learn, designed for the 21st century.

Do Academies have to deal with lots of bureaucracy?

We are committed to freeing Academies from unnecessary bureaucracy. We are looking at how to maximise the freedoms and flexibilities available to them. Academies will be encouraged to make full use of the flexibilities that they already enjoy.

What are the freedoms that Academies have to vary the pay and conditions of teachers, and how do we justify this freedom?

Academies are not bound by the Teachers Pay and Conditions of Service. They and their staff will be able to negotiate pay and conditions arrangements to meet the particular needs of the Academy and its students. Where Academies replace existing schools there will in many cases be a transfer of undertakings under the TUPE regulations. The flexibilities that Academies have should allow them to be in the forefront in applying school workforce reform strategies.

We want Academies to respond innovatively to the challenges they face and the ability to negotiate their own pay and conditions is part of the increased flexibility they need to do that.

What is the composition of an Academy governing body?

The DfES does not prescribe the numbers of governors on an Academy governing body. The Sponsors are able to appoint the majority of trustees (governors), typically around seven out of thirteen governors, and this must be agreed with the DfES. Each Academy governing body is also made up of the principal, in an ex-officio capacity, a local authority representative, and at least one elected parent representative. Most Academies also have a teacher governor (either elected or appointed), a staff governor (either elected or appointed) and many include community representatives. Where an Academy is an extended school, they may consider having representatives from the various joined-up services on the governing body. The governing body can also appoint co-opted governors. All members of an Academy governing body are appointed on the basis of the contribution that they will make to the school.

How is an Academy Governing Body Accountable?

The governing body of an Academy is accountable to the Secretary of State through the requirements of a Funding Agreement. The Funding Agreement requires the governing body to publish procedures of its meetings. As charitable companies, Academies must also prepare and file annual accounts with the Charity Commission, prepare an annual report for the Charity Commissioners, and ensure that their accounts are independently audited.

How is an Academy Governing Body constituted?

The Governing Body is constituted under the Academy's Memorandum and Articles of Association and is generally chaired by the Sponsor. Unlike maintained schools, governance procedures are not prescribed in primary or secondary legislation. Rather this is set down in model Memorandum and Articles laid down by the Department as part of the Funding Agreement.

Why are the governing bodies of Academies not constituted and accountable in the same way as governing bodies of all other state schools?

Academies are different to LA maintained schools. They are independent schools set up as charitable companies. This arrangement enables sponsors to set a clear direction for Academies and contribute to their governance, while ensuring that Academies are run solely for the benefit of their students and the wider community.

All members of an Academy governing body are appointed on the basis of the contribution that they will make to the school. As governors they will have a unique opportunity to use their own areas of expertise to support the Academy. The governing body will usually comprise sponsors, or their representatives, members of the local community, including a governor appointed by the LA, staff and at least one elected parent governor. These arrangements will ensure a good balance between local representation and sponsor expertise.

The governing body of an Academy is accountable to the Secretary of State through the requirements of the funding agreement. The funding agreement requires the governing body to publish procedures of its meetings. As charitable companies, Academies must also prepare and file annual accounts with the Charity Commission, prepare an annual report for the Charity Commissioners, and ensure that their accounts are independently audited.

What is different about Academy governing bodies?

Although there are many similarities between the governing bodies of good LA maintained schools and Academies, there are also important differences. As independent schools, Academies are set up as charitable companies to give sponsors and governors broader scope and responsibility for ethos, strategic direction and challenge in order to tackle the entrenched low standards in the most deprived areas of the country. For example, in Academies, Governors have responsibility for:

Employment of Academy staff,
The appointment of the Principal;
Administration of the Academy's finances;
Authorisation of any appointments or changes to terms and conditions;
Approval of personnel policies and procedures.

Can parents have as much of a say in Academies as in other schools?

Whilst Academies are only obliged to appoint 1 parent governor, most elect 2 or more. The flexibilities in Academies arrangements mean that Academies have the potential to appoint more parent governors if they feel it to be appropriate.

Information on Academies is available for local councillors to be able to advise parents as for maintained schools. Local Authorities are normally represented on Academy governing bodies as are parents and Academies are accountable to local parents in the same way as maintained schools.

Academies and Trust Schools, aren't they similar types of schools?

No. Academies and Trust Schools are two elements of the diverse package of models designed to deliver real improvements in school attainment. Each is designed to work in different circumstances.

The Academies Programme targets schools with the lowest levels of attainment (less than 30% of students gaining 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C including English and maths) and in the most deprived communities (20% most deprived wards by Index of Multiple Deprivation)

The Trust School model is designed to cover the whole spectrum of schools, from those that are under-performing to those that are setting the standards in the education sector as a whole.

Academies are independent schools, funded directly by the Department for Education and Skills and are not a part of the Local Authority's responsibilities. Trust Schools remain part of the Local Authority family of schools, funded by the Authority through the grant it receives from the Department. They will be included in the Local Authority strategic planning framework and Local Authorities will have the power to propose changes.

Academies offer a broad and balanced curriculum, but have the freedom to establish this in their own innovative way. Trust Schools must follow the National Curriculum, unless they obtain prior permission to innovate from the Secretary of State, which will only be given if the Trust can demonstrate that this will raise standards.

Images from latest gallery: First Week photos

View all 34 images in gallery