Anti Academies Alliance submission to the Children, Schools and Families Committee Monday 29th March Academy performance Much is made of the rising success of Academies. In 2009 Ed Balls boasted that the Academies GCSE results that June showed a 5% improvement on 2008. When challenged to produce the results that proved that we were told we had to wait for the official release of the results in January 2010. When the 2009 GCSE results were officially released in January 2010 our analysis of the results showed that while Ed Ball's headline figure may be true, it hid some other disturbing information. 122 Academies entered their pupils for GCSEs in 2009. Of these 74 have now entered pupils for 2 or more years. of these 74, 32% (24 Academies) saw their results fall (appendix A). and 59% (44 Academies) are in the National Challenge (Appendix B). of the 122 Academies which entered their pupils for GCSEs in 2009, 36% are in the national challenge. Selection of Academy Sponsors The government have a new Accreditation procedure. It requires a number of conditions to be met to allow sponsors to be automatically accredited. This includes: “Proposals should demonstrate evidence of strong academic performance, and value added. This might be demonstrated through: Evidence that the percentage of pupils gaining five A*-C including English and maths has improved since opening by at least four percentage points on average for each year it has been open.” of the 74 Academies that have entered pupils for exams for 2 or more years, just 29 would pass this test. There is no identifiable procedure for sponsors to withdraw from Academies. As the years go by this will become a factor, as sponsors may wish to withdraw. So far the only Sponsor to have withdrawn was Amey Plc, from Unity City Academy, Middlesbrough. When Amey took over the school Brian Staples, Chief Executive of The Academy’s sponsor Amey plc told the press: "For us, Unity City Academy is our opportunity to contribute to innovation and leadership in learning - and a strong signal of our commitment to supporting public services in Middlesbrough and the North East". The Unity City Academy funding agreement 2002, clause 82 states “Either party may give seven years written notice of its intention to terminate this agreement, such notice to expire on 31 August in any year”. Amey Plc gave no such notice, and were not held to the seven year agreement. When selecting sponsors for Academies, how is the DCSF checking their long term commitment to becoming a sponsor, and what penalties exist if they walk away as Amey Plc has done? West Sussex County Council withheld statistics showing the scale of opposition to the setting up of an Academy-style school. The county council was forced to make the figures public this week under Freedom of Information legislation. They relate to its final public consultation in 2008 on school reorganisation and the proposal for a new Academy. The statistics show 265 out of 317 responses were opposed to an Academy. This included 93 of the 99 school governors in the Rother Valley who took part. This reinforces the deep cynicism that exists amongst the public towards the Academy process, and the disregarding of consultation about both the Academy proposals, and the Academy sponsors. Appendix A – Academies with falling GCSE results % of KS4 % of KS4 % of KS4 % of KS4 % of pupils pupils pupils pupils pupils achieving achieving achieving achieving achieving Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 threshold threshold threshold threshold threshold including A*- including including including including C in both English and English and English and English and English and mathematics mathematics mathematics mathematics maths Change 2008 institution name – 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 GCSEs 2009 to 2009 Landau Forte College ~ 66.00% 68.00% 54.00% -14.00% Bristol Brunel Academy ~ ~ 35% 25% -10.00% William Hulme's Grammar School ~ ~ 93% 85% -8.00% Grace Academy Solihull ~ 19% 28% 20% -8.00% Paddington Academy ~ 25% 41% 34% -7.00% The King's Academy 0.23 0.23 0.34 45% 38% -7.00% Bacon's College ~ ~ 60% 53% -7.00% John Madejski Academy ~ 7% 23% 18% -5.00% North Liverpool Academy ~ 26% 36% 31% -5.00% St Pauls Academy 39% 51% 61% 56% -5.00% Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College 91% 89% 94% 90% -4.00% Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich ~ 32.00% 42.00% 38.00% -4.00% David Young Community Academy ~ 21% 32% 29% -3.00% North Oxfordshire Academy ~ ~ 28% 25% -3.00% City of London Academy (Southwark) ' ' 41% 38% -3.00% Harris Academy at Peckham 0.18 23% 24% 29% 26% -3.00% Stockport Academy ~ ~ 27% 25% -2.00% Spires Academy ~ ~ 32% 30% -2.00% Marsh Academy ~ ~ 32% 30% -2.00% West London Academy 0.11 25% 25% 32% 31% -1.00% Macmillan Academy 67% 71% 69% 68% -1.00% Walthamstow Academy ~ 28% 32% 31% -1.00% The Marlowe Academy 5% 7% 13% 12.00% -1.00% London Academy 0.24 32% 39% 36% 35% -1.00% Appendix B – Academies in National Challenge % of KS4 % of KS4 % of KS4 % of KS4 % of pupils pupils pupils pupils pupils achieving achieving achieving achieving achieving Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 Level 2 threshold threshold threshold threshold threshold including A*- including including including including C in both English and English and English and English and English and mathematics mathematics mathematics mathematics maths institution name – 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008 GCSEs 2009 Excelsior Academy ~ ~ ~ 12.00% The Marlowe Academy 0.05 0.07 0.13 12.00% Merchants' Academy ~ ~ ~ 17% Academy 360 ~ ~ ~ 17% Oxford Academy ~ ~ ~ 18% John Madejski Academy ~ 7% 23% 18% The Barnsley Academy ~ 0.2 14% 19% New Line Learning Academy ~ ~ 13% 19% Grace Academy Solihull ~ 19% 28% 20% The Academy of St Francis of Assisi 17% 16% 15% 21% Corby Business Academy ~ ~ ~ 21% Oasis Academy Brightstowe ~ ~ ~ 22% Oasis Academy Bristol ~ ~ ~ 22% St Matthew Academy ~ ~ 23% 23% Unity City Academy 0.06 14% 0.12 18% 23% Darwen Aldridge Community Academy ~ ~ ~ 23% Sheffield Springs Academy ~ 20% 22% 23% Bradford Academy ~ ~ 18% 24% Samworth Church Academy ~ ~ ~ 25% Bristol Brunel Academy ~ ~ 35% 25% Sheffield Park Academy ~ 0.19 0.22 25.00% Hereford Academy ~ ~ ~ 25% North Oxfordshire Academy ~ ~ 28% 25% Stockport Academy ~ ~ 27% 25% Swindon Academy ~ ~ 9% 26% Oasis Academy Lord's Hill ~ ~ ~ 26% Oasis Academy Wintringham ~ ~ 22% 26% Stockley Academy 0.09 16% 25% 18% 26% Harris Academy at Peckham 0.18 23% 24% 29% 26% St Michael and All Angels CofE Academy ~ ~ 25% 27% Folkestone Academy ~ ~ 14% 27% West Lakes Academy ~ ~ ~ 25.00% Richard Rose Central Academy ~ ~ ~ 27% Priory City of Lincoln Academy ~ ~ ~ 28% Richard Rose Morton Academy ~ ~ ~ 28% St Marks Church of England Academy ~ 20% 22% 28% Archbishop Sentamu Academy ~ ~ ~ 28% RSA Academy ~ ~ ~ 29% Grace Academy Coventry ~ ~ ~ 29% David Young Community Academy ~ 21% 32% 29% Oasis Academy Immingham ~ ~ 15% 30% Shelfield Community Academy ~ ~ ~ 30.00% Spires Academy ~ ~ 0.32 30.00% Marsh Academy ~ ~ 32% 30%.