Academy Schools

Some academy chains are run by charlatans that set up theur own companies to sell services, which would have been provided by the LAs back to the academies. In this way they get paid twice, one for being an executive of the school /trust and again for selling their consultancy services to the trust/ other schools . This is where a lot of taxpayers money is going. There are also several cases of financial mismanagement and outright criminal activity.

SAAK your post makes no sense at all.

Local 'comp' for primary age pupil???

Now just finished 1st year at Uni and has a 1st???

Is it me????

I think the point is that some Academies are excellent, some good, some satisfactory and some failing. I am no cheerleader for Academies, in fact I think all secondary schools should be locally run, comprehensive and secular, but it is only fair to the OP to point out that there is a big variation.
(And no I didn't understand SAAK's post either).

i too think all schools (including primaries and 6th Form Colleges) ought to be locally run and accountable to thei LEAs. Many sevices that used to be bought-in (quite competitively too) from LEAs have been lost and, IMO, schools are the poorer for that.

Teachers' Pay and Conditions, long and hard fought for over many years, have been eroded. In fact many of the same problems we see in the NHS exist in our schools too.

As Mamie said, Academies range from Outstanding to Inadequate but it's the central premise that they are independent of local control that is all wrong.

Agreed, I should have included all phases in that.
Just wrong that anyone makes a profit out of running schools imo.

26th and 27th of this month Norah with another 5 days for a decision.

I wish I wasn't such a pessimist but past appeals at the same school tend to show a trend for losing as only one appeal allowed in the past 5 years.

My daughter moved to her village to specifically avoid academy schools. Their school Is LA run and parents have fought long and hard battles to keep it that way. It is classed as outstanding.

Yes it depends on local provision whitewave. My DD was able to avoid the selective system and church schools because of the outstanding academy on the doorstep.

we dont have the "academies" that you have,an Academy is just the secondary school run by the local authority ,we dont have parent governing boards in our schools either .Well maybe in the private sector but as I would never use them nor would my family I dont know.Our system is children go to the school closest to them unless there is a very specific reason why they need to go further afield...maybe parents who work out of the area and need to use work childcare facilities before annd after school for instance .It seems to work well ,,it has always been this way

...and it is the right way paddyann

Academies were set up in Tony Blairs government I believe, and here is a link explaining them
researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN07059