Figures released have revealed that one tenth of all secondary schools in England have been granted academy status under the new legislation of the Department for Education.
The re-classification of 407 primary and secondary schools has taken place in England so far, in what has been Education secretary Michael Gove's flagship reform since coming to power.
The lure of applying to become an academy lies in the freedom which accompanies such a change in status.
The academies are described by the Department for Education as being free from local authority and national government control; this means that independent academies are able to set their own pay levels and other conditions of employment, as well as altering the curriculum as they see fit.
By simply registering their interest in an online form, schools can get their application under way with relative ease.
Once the registration process has been completed, the application to convert commences, in which the conversion of the school to independent academy is resolved by a governing body.
The next phase involves the agreement of adequate funding from government - the academies are publicly funded - before acquiring approval from the Secretary of State.
It is claimed that the entire process should take only 3 months from registration to academy opening.
The running of the academy is a far more complex matter, especially when potentially damaging financial scenarios arise.
The academies are expected to operate within their means, as any institute must do, but will experience government intervention should a deficit appear likely.
The academies also receive an ongoing General Annual Grant which is designed to cover running costs.
The recent figures represent a twofold rise in the number of such independent schools since the election of last year, at which time there were 203 in existence.
Whilst the government and many headteachers argue that the devolution of power to those on the front line makes complete sense, others are not so convinced by the growing trend of autonomous education.
Many believe that by acceding such authority and freedom to schools, a non-cohesive, patchwork form of education will begin to arise, in which various approaches will make regulation and accountability far harder to control.
Many see the move by the Conservative minister as a means of creating a series of publicly funded independent schools in the mode of existing private schools in Scotland, England, and Wales
The re-classification of 407 primary and secondary schools has taken place in England so far, in what has been Education secretary Michael Gove's flagship reform since coming to power.
The lure of applying to become an academy lies in the freedom which accompanies such a change in status.
The academies are described by the Department for Education as being free from local authority and national government control; this means that independent academies are able to set their own pay levels and other conditions of employment, as well as altering the curriculum as they see fit.
By simply registering their interest in an online form, schools can get their application under way with relative ease.
Once the registration process has been completed, the application to convert commences, in which the conversion of the school to independent academy is resolved by a governing body.
The next phase involves the agreement of adequate funding from government - the academies are publicly funded - before acquiring approval from the Secretary of State.
It is claimed that the entire process should take only 3 months from registration to academy opening.
The running of the academy is a far more complex matter, especially when potentially damaging financial scenarios arise.
The academies are expected to operate within their means, as any institute must do, but will experience government intervention should a deficit appear likely.
The academies also receive an ongoing General Annual Grant which is designed to cover running costs.
The recent figures represent a twofold rise in the number of such independent schools since the election of last year, at which time there were 203 in existence.
Whilst the government and many headteachers argue that the devolution of power to those on the front line makes complete sense, others are not so convinced by the growing trend of autonomous education.
Many believe that by acceding such authority and freedom to schools, a non-cohesive, patchwork form of education will begin to arise, in which various approaches will make regulation and accountability far harder to control.
Many see the move by the Conservative minister as a means of creating a series of publicly funded independent schools in the mode of existing private schools in Scotland, England, and Wales