UKC

My school has recently started looking in to becoming an Academy. The Head has given us the pros, the Union has given us the cons. I'd like to hear from anyone out there who works in an Academy about what your experience has been like, the good and the bad. Also if anyone knows someone in that situation, what have they told you.
Please don't hijack this thread to discuss government education policy in general or the academy policy in particular, I just want objective testimony to help me come to a personal standpoint on the issue facing my school.

Thanks

In reply to melocoton:

My wife is a teacher in one and doesn't have any complaints. They only thing I can say off the top of my head is that because there are multiple schools in the academy they massively benefit from cross-school training. Obviously they also have a lot more freedom, and so if your head is good and reckons the school would be better off an academy, he must have a reason for that... ?

However, ultimately a school's a school, whatever. For students, they get taught a GCSE syllabus. For teachers, pay is about the same (sometimes a few % higher because they can set it where they like), conditions are about the same.

In reply to melocoton:

Terms and Conditions should be protected by TUPE, but one question to ask is about protection of T&C if you move from current school to another Academy, particularly pension provisions.

I suspect Academies are going to be the norm and it may be better to choose rather than have it imposed, but I would say understanding the impact on pensions particularly is essential.

In reply to melocoton:

Also ensure that you are comfortable with the particular approach to enrolment by the Academy. If you like teaching the full range of youngsters (e.g children with additional needs) it'd be wise to check that the school is not going to start skewing its selection criteria. Job satisfaction etc etc

The point raised above about pensions is an important one I suspect.

In reply to melocoton:

Very limited sample, however the two people I know (both SMT), only hung around due to retirement and job movement being limited(Age/salary) both worked vast hours far above what they had. They didn't speak badly of it, but nor were they positive. Read between the lines.

From the outside this particular case didn't look healthy. The only other academy I know of people involved with struggles massively (third incarnation at least), merged a private with some of the worse schools in the area. Again can provide no valid or evidenced reason, just rumours/gossip.

See what your head and SMT get out of it and also ask yourself how much you trust them. I think that so many of these are individual you should be very objective about your own case.

In reply to melocoton:

I worked in one, and it didn't feel much different to working in a school that wasn't an academy.

In reply to melocoton:

My experience is that it is turning around a failing school and improving the teaching and outcomes for the students

Unions will not like it as much less job security for their members

At the end of the day the key bit is the leadership

In reply to iusedtoclimb:

My experience is a good school turned to a requires improvement.
Teaching can be improved without becoming an academy.

In reply to melocoton:

I work in one. First thing they did was change the school timetable to give teachers Friday afternoons off in exchange for an extra hour on a Monday. Only good experiences for me.

In reply to melocoton:

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. Not the scare stories I imagined, but I'm still not sure. We're not a failing school, we got "Good" at our last Ofsted inspection but the Head claims it will avoid us being forced to convert at a later date in line with what she understands to be the government's agenda if we do it voluntarily now.

In reply to melocoton:

If it is AET (Academies Enterprise Trust) taking it over, then get out quick. They are arseholes of the highest order.

In reply to TheTwig:

It would be a Multi Academy Trust with a nearby secondary school so I guess that is safer than a sponsor.