UNISON wants to see an integrated comprehensive education system.
However, the previous government for many years undermined schools linked to local authorities and focused on getting schools to convert to becoming academies. As of figures released in January 2024, 43% of primary schools in England and 82% of secondary schools are academies or part of multi-academy trusts (MATs).
We are committed to representing school support staff in academy schools.
Some UNISON branches working with other unions and local communities will be able to campaign against academy conversions and resources and materials to aid this can be found here.
Materials and resources related to academy schools are listed below.
FAQs
Academy schools
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What is an academy school?
Academies are schools in England that are funded directly by the Department for Education (DfE) and operate independently of the local authority.
Academies are self-governing non-profit charitable trusts. They control their own admissions process and they don’t have to follow the ational curriculum. They also have the power to extend the school day and to break from national agreements which set school support staff pay, terms and conditions.
However, the current government is pursuing legislation to create more consistency between academy schools and local authority schools. For example, the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will require all state funded schools to follow the national curriculum.
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What are the different types of academy?
There are essentially two types of academy:
- “Converter” academies are those where the school governors apply for academy status (so the school becomes a standalone academy in its own right).
- “Sponsored” academies are schools that the government has labelled as “underperforming” and put under the control of an academy sponsor
An academy trust that operates more than one academy is known as a Multi Academy Trust. An academy with an official faith designation is sometimes referred to as a Faith Academy. When a school converts on its own it’s known as a Single Academy Trust.
Free Schools are totally new schools with the same legal status and ‘freedoms’ as academies.
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How does a school become an academy?
There are essentially two ways a school can become an academy:
- The School Governing body voluntarily applies to the DfE for the school to covert to an Academy – they have to consult with the local community and parents as part of the application process to convert
- The DfE forces a school that the Government has labelled as ‘underperforming’ into academy status – so the local community, parents and teachers are not taken into account.