Frequently Asked Questions
What is an academy?
An academy is an independently managed and governedspecialist state school, directly funded by the government at the same level asa specialist comprehensive school in the area.
They are established and managed by independent sponsors,and funded by the Government at a level comparable to other local schools. Nofees are paid by parents. They are the successors to the City TechnologyColleges introduced in 1987.
Some academies are brand new schools in areas needing extraschool places. Others replace weak or underperforming schools; as a broad ruleof thumb, the Government is prepared to consider as a potential academy projectany secondary school where in 2007 fewer than 30% of pupils gained five or moregood GCSEs including English and maths. A third category is day schools whichwere fee-paying but want to become academies in order to transform theircontribution to local education by expanding and broadening their pupil intaketo the benefit of all local students.
How did ULT become involved in setting up academies?
ULT was chosen for this programme because of its impressiveand trusted track record in education.
UCST operates 12 thriving fee-paying schools today andthus offers matchless opportunities for cross-fertilisation. Both theindependent fee-paying schools and academies stimulate each other's performancethrough joint training, curriculum development and their approach to arelentless agenda of improvement.
How transparent are the financial arrangements?
We believe that transparency of finance is essential.Because academies are not given financial advantage over other state-fundedschools, strict financial management is critical. The UCST central officehandles the administration of both schools and academies.
How are the ULT academies financed?
Academies are financed separately by the Government througha contract with ULT and do not receive any subsidy from UCST. This meansthat none of the fees that parents pay go into the Academies Programme. Alloperating costs are paid for by the Government and all sponsorship isfundraised separately.
