The academy programme

During the 1990s, local education authorities were seen by the Labour government as a barrier to school improvement. The response was to force failing schools to leave local authorities to become 'academies' sponsored and managed by boards or trusts led by business and local universities and colleges. Some schools choose to become academies and do not need a sponsor. Academies are funded directly from central government and there has been a huge investment in such schools. The argument is that independence…