The business of running a school

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The business of running a school

13 April 2010

According to recent reports the first private companies that want to run national chains of schools have applied for accreditation. Businesses including VT Group, Serco and Edison Learning have applied to become Accredited Schools Providers (ASPs) and given their education sector experience they are likely to receive accreditation as ASPs, allowing them to sponsor up to two academies, or support up to two National Challenge Trusts (NCTs). Once their record is established, the companies are likely to apply to become Accredited Schools Groups to allow them to operate larger chains of schools in the future.

Many, including the current government, feel it is inappropriate for profit driven organisations to be running schools. However, profit making in the education sector already exists and if large chains of schools are to represent the future of education businesses like VT Group and SERCO will argue they need the financial incentives to help turn the vision into reality.

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