The Academies Programme, a report by Government spending watchdog theNational Audit Office (NAO), said that GCSE performance in academies hadimproved compared to predecessor schools. GCSE results were also"substantially better, on average, than other schools" when pupils'personal circumstances and prior attainment were taken into account.
But performance in sixth forms is "well below the national average" andonly 22 per cent of pupils achieve five good GCSEs including maths andEnglish.
The NAO also said tax rules are causing academies to limit the use oftheir buildings by local groups as reported by Children Now (21-27February).
Of the 14 academies visited, five were "actively limiting community usebecause of potential VAT liability" and three were opening theirfacilities to the community free of charge but "at some risk to theirown budgets".
The report reveals that tax rules forced Haberdashers' Aske's KnightsAcademy in south London to demolish and rebuild a fairly new sports hallin order to avoid VAT charges imposed on refurbished buildings. The NAOrecommends the Department for Education and Skills and the Treasuryshould "seek to reach rapid agreement" on resolving the problem.
But teaching unions say that academies are not providing value formoney.
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers andLecturers, said: "Academies are an expensive mistake and need to bereturned to local accountability."
But education secretary Alan Johnson insisted academies were "on courseto deliver good value for money" and shadow schools minister Nick Gibbsaid the Conservatives fully backed the academy programme.
- www.nao.org.uk.
