DfE academy statistics - September 2013

Apologies to readers who have missed my monthly analysis of academy statistics - I just haven't had time to keep them up to date. However, I notice that finally the DfE are doing the job anyway - and not before time - though with the inevitable spin and political claims, best taken with a large pinch of salt. This is what they say:

• 1,660 schools are now in academy 'chains' - nearly double the 897 this time last year. Around 348 schools are leading these chains, working with others to raise standards
• an increasing number of primary schools are joining chains or forming their own - 88% (211) of all primary academies that opened in the last 3 months
• 3,304 schools are open as academies
• almost two-thirds of all secondary schools are now either open as academies or in the pipeline to become academies

Overall there are now 3,304 academies in England - almost 15 times as many as in May 2010, when there were 203 academies, all of them sponsored.

Of these:

• 2,446 are converter academies
• 858 are sponsored - a four-fold rise since the 203 open in May 2003
• 1,464 are primary academies (1,069 converters, 395 sponsored) - 9% of all primary schools in England
• 1,736 are secondary academies (1,281 converters, 455 sponsored) - 52% of all secondary schools in England
• 89 are special academies (81 converters, 8 sponsored)
• 15 are pupil referral units (all converters)
• 63% of all secondary schools are now open or in the academy or free school pipeline
• 13% of all primary schools are now open or in the academy or free school pipeline

Additionally:

• there are 153,000 teachers in academies - 23,000 (10%) in primary academies and 129,000 (56%) in secondary academies
• there are 2.2 million pupils in academies - more than 400,000 (10%) in primary academies and more than 1.8 million (56%) in secondary academies