SCHOOLS ACADEMY PROGRAMME

Early day motion 605, tabled 10 January 2007 by Ken Purchase (Labour). Signed by 37 members.

That this House is dismayed that the Government's programme of developing privately-controlled school academies is diverting tax payers' funds into the hands of super-rich sponsors, most of whom have no record of successful education management, and will possibly have serious detrimental effects on neighbouring schools; calls on the Government to fund a `control group' of non-academy schools on a like-for-like basis with academies in order to establish evidence of value for money in terms of educational outcomes; and invites the Government to establish such a control group in the City of Wolverhampton in the event of the council having to establish an academy as a condition of securing much-needed funding under the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Signatures by party: Labour 29, Liberal Democrat 6, Independent 1, Respect 1.