September 2014 will see the introduction of Academies being split into one of eight ‘areas’, with each area being looked after by a School Commissioner. With over 3500 (2000 Secondary and 1500 Primary) Academies across England, it is widely recognised that sponsored Academies have performed best in recent years, with all Academies performing better the longer they have been open.

Each Commissioner will be responsible for:

• Deciding upon applications from schools to convert to Academy status

September 2014 will see the introduction of Academies being split into one of eight ‘areas’, with each area being looked after by a School Commissioner. With over 3500 (2000 Secondary and 1500 Primary) Academies across England, it is widely recognised that sponsored Academies have performed best in recent years, with all Academies performing better the longer they have been open.

Each Commissioner will be responsible for:

• Deciding upon applications from schools to convert to Academy status

• Performance monitoring, and ensuring that the appropriate intervention is taken if an Academy is underperforming

• Deciding upon applications from organisations wishing to sponsor an Academy

• Working on a national level with the National Schools Commissioner to ensure that Academy sponsors meet the needs of the local areas

Supporting each Commissioner will be a board of five or six outstanding Academy Head Teachers, who are elected by the other Academy head teachers within the region. Each board member will be expected to draw upon their considerable experience and localised knowledge, with the role anticipated to take around one day per week.

The eight areas as set by the Department for Education can be found below, however there currently seems to be no information regarding how these eight areas will work in relation to Multi Academy Trusts, many of which operate across the whole country or at least over more than one of these areas.