Longer days and business training at new breed of state school
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Your support makes all the difference.A millionaire sponsor and an education minister attended the official launch yesterday of a City Academy, a new breed of independent school with public and private funding.
Academies enjoy freedoms denied to most state schools including powers to vary the curriculum, the school day and teachers' pay. The Bexley Business Academy in south-east London has received £2.5m in sponsorship from David Garrard, a property millionaire, who told the new pupils he hoped their time at the school would be a "magical adventure". Mr Garrard said: "I intend to make sure the students know that to be ambitious and to aspire to all that the world has to offer is good."
The academy replaces Thamesmead Community College which closed this summer. In its final year, only 17 per cent of pupils achieved five good GCSE passes. City Academies are intended to fight under-achievement in urban secondary schools. The new school will be "managed" by an education firm, 3E's Enterprises, which already runs two state schools in Surrey.
The academy will use its freedoms to create a mini-stock exchange and trading floor "to make learning about stocks and shares exciting and fun".
The school intends to provide 1,350 places for pupils aged 11 to 18 but in the longer term hopes to extend its provision to include a primary school and pre-school facilities, making it the first state-funded "cradle to university" institution.
Its school day will be longer than most to allow the national curriculum to be covered on Monday to Thursday, leaving Friday free forbusiness skills.
Stephen Twigg, the Education minister who was at the opening, defended academies from attacks by headteachers earlier this week. They had expressed fears that the new academies would attract the most able and motivated students, harming nearby schools.
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