Academy proposals risk leaving behind additional needs pupils

It suggests we are on the brink of a momentous achievement: an equitable school system that delivers the best results for all children. And the means to reach this happy state? Academies everywhere. But while the government is right to think creatively about how to raise standards in schools, giving academies the freedom to innovate might also create a system that is slack in other ways, giving disadvantaged pupils a raw deal.

One concern is whether academies are less inclined to welcome children with additional needs than a maintained school, which identifies more with a local area's overall provision. Of course, if an academy is named in an education, health and care plan (EHC), then it must admit that student - though academies retain a right of appeal to the Secretary of State. But parents choosing where to send their child can be discouraged before their child's EHC plan is drawn up if a school subtly sends out the message that the child's additional needs might be better met in another school nearby.