Ealing Schools Could Become Academies
5 schools register interest with government
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Five schools in Ealing have expressed an interest in becoming academies, according to a new government list.
Academy status would give them more freedom over the school curriculum and teachers' pay.
A list of 1,567 schools which have expressed an interest in becoming an academy in England has already been published under freedom of information laws, and includes 828 schools rated "outstanding" by Ofsted.
These top schools could be fast-tracked to academy status by September, stepping out of local authority control, if legislation is passed.
They include primaries, secondaries, grammars and faith schools.
Ealing schools that have already registered as interest are:
Any school wanting to have the chance of opening as an academy by September needs to register with the government by 30 June.
Not everyone is in favour of the possible 'opt out' however and a new group has been set up to campaign against the academies.
The Anti Academies Alliance claim the Academies Bill could take hundreds of the most successful schools out of local authority control leaving local authorities managing schools with the most difficulties, with diminishing budgets.
Meanwhile more than 700 groups are interested in starting a "free school" in England. The free schools policy is similar to the charter schools system in the USA and one run in Sweden.
The government expects the first of the new breed of "free schools" to open in September next year. Local journalist Toby Young is hoping to establish the West London Free School in Ealing.
29 June 2010
