Da Costa Braz, Nuno Manuel; (2024) English academies’ impact on pupils: Cognitive and non-cognitive skills, subject choice, and school management practices. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

Academies are independent state-funded schools that are managed outside of Local Authority control and enjoy greater autonomy. While most of the empirical literature on academies focuses on exam performance, this thesis contains three papers that evaluate the impact of academy conversion on a wider range of outcomes. The first paper examines the effect of academy attendance on decisionmaking skills, mental health, and social behaviour. Using the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) in a difference in difference framework, my analysis focuses on pupils who are already attending the school prior to academy conversion. The overall impact of academy attendance is non-significant, but there are marked differences in outcomes between converter and sponsor-led academies. My analysis suggests that transfer to converter academy status is associated with significantly raised decision-making skills for their pupils, whereas conversion to sponsor-led academy status is associated with an increase in pupils’ self-esteem. These results could suggest that sponsor-led academies are using ranking maximising strategies and converter academies are not targeting non-cognitive outcomes. The second paper, also using the MCS and legacy enrolment, explores how academy conversion shapes the subjects that pupils choose at age 14. The overall impact of academy attendance is driven by converter academies. Pupils at converter academies are significantly more likely to study science subjects and facilitating subjects than their peers at maintained schools. Since converter academies have more advantaged intakes, these results may raise concerns for social mobility. The third paper explores how academy conversion shapes school policies, management practices, and the learning environment. Using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) data, a focus is placed on maintained schools that convert to academy status. Academies are compared to schools that become academies after the sample period. Academies develop distinctive managerial structures, learning environments, and school policies. Converter and sponsor-led academies have distinct admission policies, use diverse teaching methods, focus on different subjects, face dissimilar problems, but generally share a positive school climate. Multiacademy trusts have fostered strong leadership and management practices.

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