| Academies prove themselves |
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| Written by Marek Hlavac | |
| Monday, 23 July 2007 | |
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A recent report
by PricewaterhouseCoopers, found that, since 2002, academies have
exhibited "generally greater, and often significantly greater,"
improvements in exam results than other state schools, writes Anthea
Lipsett in the Guardian. "The proportion of pupils in these academies
getting five or more good GCSE passes was double that achieved by the
schools they replaced five years ago - an increase from 21% to 42%,"
she adds. Better examination results, however, are not the academies' only forte. Behaviour has also improved, Lipsett points out, as most academies record fewer exclusions. It is no surprise, then, that that parents and pupils say they are "highly satisfied" with what academies offer. Although PricewaterhouseCoopers notes that some of the advances may have resulted from the enrollment of children with good social and educational backgrounds, it also says that much of the improvement has stemmed from better methods embraced by the academies. These are very encouraging findings. The academies' independent status gives them more flexibility in their teaching, staffing and governance decisions and, consequently, allows them to cater to the pupils' needs more effectively. Let us hope that report like these will lead our government to promote the independent administration of state schools. Our pupils depend on it.
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