Universities plan to sponsor controversial academies in England

Some of England's leading universities are talking with the British government over plans to sponsor schools in the controversial academies programme.

The Guardian has reported that University College London and Brunel University have agreed to sponsor academies, and four others are discussing plans with the government.

Prime minister Tony Blair has thrown his weight behind a drive to replace 200 struggling state secondary schools with privately backed academies by 2010. He is encouraging businesses, not-for-profit organisations, churches and parent and community groups to run the academies.

Under the scheme, private individuals and businesses pay up to £2 million in initial sponsorship and then gain a large degree of control over a school's curriculum, staffing and ethos. As part of the deal, the government provides up to £25 million in funding for the school, a higher than usual sum for ordinary schools.

The government said last year that organisations including KPMG, Microsoft, the Open University, the Church of England and a number of trusts had agreed to work with it to develop the approach.

CfBT, a British not-for-profit education management organisation, is looking to run schools under the scheme.

In a submission to the government, CfBT chief executive Neil McIntosh said the transfer of services from government provision to not-for-profit providers over the past 20 years had been beneficial for staff and customers alike and would also work well in education.

"The more arms-length relationship with government will, over time, distance teachers from political regulation of their day-to-day work. Provision by independent, not-for-profit bodies will encourage innovation and diversity."

The Guardian story is at this web page.

A Subtext story on the Blair government plans is at this web page.

A 2005 report, from UK think tank Reform, on Academies and their academic success is at this web page.