JOHN RANKIN

Academy schools in Hastings have been a disaster since they were first introduced – an idea imported from the United States and used by New Labour to address ‘failing schools’. Subsequent Conservative Governments rolled out the Academy project across the whole education landscape with questionable academic results. Half of all children in Hastings & St Leonards now leave school without a qualification in English and Maths.

These outcomes stem from the 1990s and school league tables. The best schools form a ‘premier league’ at the expense of others who drop into lower divisions. As a result, those children who are in the most need of a decent education find themselves in the worst performing schools. Similarly young teachers coming out of teacher training try to get into the best schools, compounding the problem.

But what’s so bad about academies? The answer: money. They are run as a business rather than as an educational establishment. We’ve seen in Hastings vast sums being syphoned away from schools and into wider trust administrative costs and salaries.

This can have a very negative effect on the quality of education and ultimately the outcomes for children, because the profit-based business model leads to a restricted curriculum. This results in demotivated, stressed teachers and children who feel anxious, frustrated and uninspired.

An uninspiring curriculum with an over- emphasis on basic subjects can have a devastating effect on children, especially if combined with a demotivated and stressed teaching staff.

So, what’s the solution? We often see reports of tragic violence in classrooms, with knife crime, racism and misogyny becoming ‘normalised’ on social media platforms. Are these unfortunate and very concerning problems anything to do with Academies or the symptom of a wider malaise in society? Certainly, to avoid any further disasters, there must be change.


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https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Opinionn-schoopl-photo-1024x1020.jpghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Opinionn-schoopl-photo-150x150.jpgHIPOpinionAcademy schoolsJOHN RANKIN Academy schools in Hastings have been a disaster since they were first introduced - an idea imported from the United States and used by New Labour to address ‘failing schools’. Subsequent Conservative Governments rolled out the Academy project across the whole education landscape with questionable academic results. Half...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper