CHEATING in schools is rife,but for once it’s not pupils who are under fire, but schools. City academies — new or relaunched secondary schools charged with boosting educational results in deprived areas — are selecting the easiest pupils to teach, reports Regeneration & Renewal (June 16).
Figures from the Department for Education and Skills show that children at academies are considerably more likely to speak English as their first language, and are less likely to eat free school meals — an indicator of deprivation.
An analysis of 11 of the 27 academies shows that English is the first language of 72.9 per cent of Year 7 pupils, compared to 60.5 per cent in the same academies’ predecessor schools. Similarly, 46.1 per cent of pupils were eligible for free school meals at predecessor schools, compared to 43.7 per cent at academies.
A spokeswoman for the National Union of Teachers says there is a bias which means that academies are not dealing with the most difficult pupils.
But a spokeswoman for the DfES says academies are not allowed to pick and choose. “Most academies are over- subscribed and fully reflect the community they serve,” she says, adding that their intake varies from predecessor schools simply because of their popularity with parents.