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Academies [previously called city academies] are independent state schools specifically charged with taking on this challenge. Some are brand new schools, others replace failing ones (those with 30 per cent or fewer students getting five GCSEs at A*-C).
They are set up as charitable companies by business, faith or voluntary groups and receive both sponsorship from that group and government funding. Their
independent status allows them the flexibility to be creative in their management, governance, teaching and curriculum in order to meet local need.
They are all-ability schools, with a focus on one particular specialism, although they can have more. In line with other specialist schools, they can admit up to 10 per cent of their pupils on the basis of an aptitude for the specialism.
While they are not bound by the national curriculum, they must teach core subjects and carry out Key Stage 3 assessments in English, maths and science. There are around 27 around the country targeting deprived areas.
They have been hugely controversial because of the involvement of the private sector [there was a lot of coverage of one school whose founder supports creationism, for example] and there is a lot of press attention on their results. The picture on these is mixed - the Government says many are showing rapid and improving results, but they are not in the top bracket of the league tables and some say that this is because they exclude more pupils than other schools and make their own rules on admissions and special needs.
The truth is it is probably still too early to tell what their impact has been so the best thing is to visit a selection of secondary schools in your area with your daughter, armed with the questions you think are vital, check the schools' Ofsted reports beforehand and go on your gut instinct. Different parents/children value different things about schools and there is no hard and fast rule for choosing the "right" one. It has to be the right one for your child.