National Audit Office looks at capital funding - academy view

The word academies appears 14 times in the 42-page NAO report:
http://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/10089-001_Capital-funding-for-new-school-places.pdf

It appears a few times in graphics like these:

(Click to enlarge)

here:

And here:

(Page 27):

Other mentions:

1. Monitor the impact of reforms to the school system on the delivery of new places. Local authorities increasingly have less direct control over the provision of new places, given the growth of Academies and Free Schools. (Page 11)


2. Cooperation with the school community. If individual schools are unwilling to take more pupils, an authority can direct their community and voluntary controlled schools to expand, but has no such powers to direct other types of school, such as voluntary aided schools, academies or free schools. Expansion of academies and free schools is a matter for the Secretary of State. (Page 14)

3. Many local authorities also told us that increasing numbers of Academies and Free
Schools may make providing new places more difficult as authorities have no powers to
direct them to expand to take more pupils. Reviews by the Department in 2012 found
examples of Academies which were keen to expand, but also examples of Academies
not wishing to expand. The Department argues that schools have a range of very valid
individual reasons for these decisions. (Page 22)

4. The Department tries to meet these twin aims through a combination of policies. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide sufficient schools. The Department seeks to encourage choice through expanding well-performing schools, expanding Academies, and introducing Free Schools (Page 40).