The Daily Telegraph reports proposals from the Policy Exchange think tank to extend the City Academies programme to include primary schools.
According to Ofsted four in ten primary schools in Britain are no better than "satisfactory" (Ofsted code for "unsatisfactory.") They also classified 4% as "inadequate" (Ofsted code for "dreadful.") This puts 700 schools in the bottom category. Not that Ofsted is infallible – one has to look at the reports to see what the schools are being marked down for and what they are being commended for. A school could gain points for being "a caring environment" regarding health and safety box ticking but lose points for being incapable of teaching children to read.
Anyway, is Academy status the answer for "inadequate" primary schools? Or should they just be closed?