The number of academies is rising, and fast. Irrespective of who wins the next general election, the programme is set to accelerate.
Last week, the government announced plans to make it easier for private companies and charities to back academies. Interested parties will no longer have to stump up £2m to be eligible to run a school.
But the rise of the academy has implications for the Every Child Matters agenda.
Academies have a greater degree of autonomy than other schools and are accountable to the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), not local authorities.
A spokesman for the DCSF denies that the academies programme could jeopardise Every Child Matters. He says academies "are still part of the wider family of schools and other educational institutions in their area". The schools are required to co-operate with children's trusts and to become members of behaviour partnerships, he adds.
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