Latest thinking

Blog: Five years and 4,500 schools later….

Blog

27 Jul 2015

Alison Critchley

It is five years since the Academies Act 2010 received Royal Assent, paving the way for the rapid transformation of the English school system. What are the implications of an increasingly academised system?

Creative adventures at the RSA Academies

Fellowship news

19 Jul 2015

Find out more about the latest developments at the RSA's family of Academies

If you love Academies, set them free

Blog

04 Sep 2014

Alison Critchley

It is the first week of the new school year and Academy chains are already back in the news.  Last week Ofsted wrote to AET (Academies Enterprise Trust) expressing concern that too many pupils were not receiving a good enough education, and yesterday the House of Commons Education Committee continued their scrutiny of Academies and Free Schools with an evidence session involving representatives of Academy sponsors and local authorities.

RSA Family of Academies prospectus

Report

27 Nov 2013

RSA Academies gives pupils the skills, qualifications and experiences needed to thrive in post-school education and in the world of work.

What’s the secret to learner engagement?

Blog

04 Oct 2013

Georgina Chatfield

At the RSA Family of Academies we are working with four schools in the West Midlands who are about to embark on an arts audit. By reviewing what activities are already taking place across their schools they will be able to examine the ways that the arts and arts experiences could be woven through the curriculum and the school day.

"What About Tomorrow?" Launching the RSA Academies student podcasts

Blog

27 Sep 2013

Joe Hallgarten

This is a Guest blog from Fran Plowright FRSA, media and youth engagement producer, who has worked with students from RSA Academies to create a series of podcasts.

Independent review argues collaboration between academies is vital for school improvement

Press release

09 Jan 2013

Transformational change will be delivered by schools’ shared endeavour to improve learning, guarantee fair access, and establish stronger accountability.

Unleashing greatness: Getting the best from an academised system

Report

01 Jan 2013

This pamphlet seeks to highlight the key issues emerging as a consequence of mass academisation in the English education system, and outline the RSA's model for its emerging family of academies. 

Diverse, collegiate, improving: Balancing autonomy, collaboration and accountability in the academies programme

Report

30 Jun 2012

Diversification of state schooling, and freeing schools from local authority control, represent core principles underpinning flagship Coalition education policies. This paper considers some of the key benefits and risks in the academies programme.