Academy Status: What will it Really Mean?

The Context:
The first major announcement by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, was made in a letter to every maintained school in England inviting them to seek academy status. For schools rated as ‘outstanding' by Ofsted there will be a ‘fast-track' to academy status, with many of these outstanding schools expected to become academies by September 2010. The Academies Bill, published on 27th May 2010, is expected to reach the statute book well before the summer and schools can already register their interest by completing an application form on the DfE website.

The Issues:
Delegates at this Policy and Practice Westminster Briefing will have the opportunity to examine the implications for local authorities and schools of this new drive to increase significantly the number of academies. Key issues to be discussed include: 

• The benefits of becoming an academy
• The implications for the local authority of greater numbers of schools becoming academies
• Will more academies drive up standards: what is the evidence?
• School admissions: the implications for parents and students
• The impact on the local authority budget
• Implications for the Building Schools for the Future programme

Objectives and Outcomes:
The morning policy session will allow participants to engage with the panel in discussion over the principles and policy framework, as well as the implications for schools and local authorities, of the new arrangements. The afternoon policy into practice session will be highly interactive with group discussions focusing on practical implications of academy status with case studies from existing academies and academy providers.

Who Should Attend:
Delegates will be drawn from across the education and children's services sectors, including local government officers and members, school governors, head teachers and senior managers in schools, central government departments & bodies, unions, regulators, academia and the private, voluntary & community sectors.

£175-£225

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