Mixed results in study of disadvantaged pupils in academy chains

Many academy chains in England are struggling to improve the results of disadvantaged pupils, a report says.

The Sutton Trust study of 34 organisations which sponsor multiple academies says poor pupils in 22 of them performed …below the mainstream schools average in 2014.

But disadvantaged pupils in 11 chains outperformed those in mainstream schools at GCSE, the charity says.

Ministers said academies were transforming millions of pupils’ lives.

In-depth analysis compared the results at 156 academies between 2012 and 2014 in 34 academy chains with those of mainstream state-funded schools.

The academies were chosen because they had been open and had GCSE results for the past three years.

Read her full report here. The report was also covered on Radio 4 Today, Radio 5’s Breakfast Show and BBC TV Breakfast as well as local radio stations.