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None of this is radical. It is basic good governance. The question is whether any political party has the courage to do it.

The bottom line

Over 80% of English secondary schools are now academies, removed from local authority control and run by unaccountable trusts. The promise was higher standards, greater innovation, and accountability through choice and competition. The reality is no improvement in overall performance, a widening attainment gap, executive pay scandals, related-party transactions, and an accountability vacuum.

Academisation has not raised standards. It has created a fragmented, unaccountable system that serves the interests of academy executives and ideologues, not children. The evidence is overwhelming. The political will to admit failure is absent. And the children paying the price are the most disadvantaged, who were supposed to benefit most from the policy.

We are too stubborn to abandon a failed experiment. The question is how much more damage we will allow before we admit the truth.

Key takeaways

• Over 80% of English secondary schools are now academies, up from 6% in 2010, according to Department for Education data
• Academic performance has not improved—the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has widened since academisation accelerated
• Multi-academy trusts pay executives up to £500,000 annually while classroom budgets are cut, with minimal oversight or accountability
• Related-party transactions allow academy trusts to funnel public money to companies owned by trustees and executives
• Evidence from the Education Policy Institute shows no systematic performance advantage for academies over maintained schools

Sources

• Department for Education — School performance and academy data
• Education Policy Institute — Academy performance analysis
• National Audit Office — Academy trust financial oversight
• The Sutton Trust — Education inequality research

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