EXPLORING STRATEGIES IN A PRIMARY SCHOOL CONVERTER ACAD-EMY: A CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF SUPPORT FOR MINORITY ETHNIC, ENLGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE, AND ECONPMOCALLY DISADVANTAGED LEARNERS

Awan, Mariam

Abstract

The English Academy school system, first introduced in the early 2000s, is one of the most comprehensive school reform initiatives to have been implemented in recent decades in Eng-land. Most academies are conversions of pre-existing state schools, and while extensive re-search has been conducted on secondary school academies, research on primary school acade-mies is yet limited. The present research has looked at the ethos, values, and teaching methods of a converter primary school academy in a low-income area of Greater Manchester. The study focused on the assistance provided to students from underrepresented ethnic groups who spoke English as an additional language and those who were economically disadvantaged through the eyes and first-hand knowledge of teachers and parents who assisted students in their daily learn-ing. A qualitative research design was used in conjunction with a single case study approach. A semi-structured interviewing process was used to interview the Headteacher, Associate Heads, teachers, teaching assistants, and parents. On the website of the academy school, content analy-sis was performed to examine Ofsted reports, the curriculum, the ethos and values, and signifi-cant initiatives put in place to support student learning. The data gathered provided convincing evidence that the academy did not entirely accommodate itself to the needs of minority ethnic, EAL and economically disadvantaged learners due to concerns about insufficient funding and high mobility rates within the academy. The school had perceived staffing issues, and there were conflicts between how the academy wanted to run itself and how much autonomy it needed to do so. Cultural capital was recognised as important at the academy and was discovered in a new and distinctive way. A large part of this was related to aspects of marketisation and competitive-ness through which the academy attempted to meet the standards and expectations of other or-ganisations such as Ofsted and the Department for Education.

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Acceptance Date: Mar 11, 2025
• Online Publication Date: Mar 27, 2025
• Deposit Date: Mar 11, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 28, 2025
• Award Date: Mar 27, 2025