Academies are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act

Facts and figures on academies are very difficult to obtain. Unlike all other schools maintained by the taxpayer, academies are exempt from the Freedom of Information Act, so the only information available is what they choose to publish or that which is published by the government, and is often misleading. Parents of pupils at academies have no represention on the board of governors and no means of influencing the educational policies and practices of the school. They do not even have the right to be told what these policies and practices are. What is the reason for such secrecy?

The following GCSE performance data for all academies was prised from the DfES by means of the Freedom of Information Act. The department is still refusing to provide subject-based results for individual academies. The percentage of pupils entered for GCSE/GNVQ who obtained A*-C grades in 2005 were: English and maths: 17%; English and maths and science: 11%; English and maths and science and a modern language: 5%. Any comprehensive school with results like these would be at risk of being replaced by an academy.
The Guardian -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2006/jun/16/mainsection.guardianletters1