Academies, Free Schools and Social Justice

First introduced by Labour in 2000, Academies underwent significant changes under the coalition, with the 2010 Academies Act, which allowed successful state schools to apply to become Academies, rather than limiting the status to new schools. Also introduced were Free Schools, where parents, teachers, or other sponsors can apply to start their own state-funded, but officially ‘independent’, schools. This book examines the history and nature of Academies and Free Schools, presenting a diverse range of views on the processes by which they have come into existence, and their effects in terms of social justice. This book was published as a special issue of Research Papers in Education.