Educational values

From a standing start under Labour in 2000, more than half the "state schools" in England are now academies. Introduced to "to improve pupil performance and break the cycle of low expectations", their creation gave opportunity to concerned individuals, philanthropists and builders interested in making money from PFI schemes the right to run (and build) schools.

By the time of the General Election in 2010, there were around 300 academies; now, under the Coalition, the total is closer to 4,000. Since 2011, Government spend on education has peaked.

The academies' freedom from the old local authority educational establishment allowed these new governing bodies much more room for manoeuvre, including employment policy. Heads on six-figure salaries were appointed by car dealers. Many academies went back to "older" values in terms of Uniform, Curriculum and Ethics, which was all Dandy for Delivering the Discipline beloved by readers of Dickens. Now, it seems, MPs of all parties are surprised when, in some cases, the Uniform turns out to be a universal adoption of the hijab for girls, the Curriculum on religious education focuses on Islam, and the Ethics means no playground holding hands between boys and girls.

Four of the six schools now under "special measures" in Birmingham are academies. A fifth is applying for change of status.