New academies ‘will disadvantage the poor’

The Government's plan to turn hundreds of state schools into semi-independent academies threatens to widen the gap between rich and poor in education, research warned today.

Labour's original academies scheme focused on converting the weakest comprehensives in deprived areas into schools run by charities or business groups in an attempt to raise standards.

But David Cameron and his Education Secretary Michael Gove have invited all state schools — starting with the best— to become academies. They will enjoy more freedom over designing lessons and hiring staff as a result.

A study by Professor Stephen Machin and James Vernoit of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics said: "The new coalition government's policy on academy schools is not, like the previous government's policy, targeted on schools with more disadvantaged pupils.

"The serious worry that follows is that this will exacerbate already existing educational inequalities."