City academies deemed ‘a risky investment’

Private donors may be better  advised to give their money to education charities providing socialand emotional support to children rather than invest in city academies, a report suggests.

New Philanthropy Capital, which advises donors on how to give money more effectively, said the controversial academies were a “risky investment” compared with other options in the education field because there was not enough evidence to judge their effectiveness.

The debate over academies had also “tended to obscure other options”, it added.

It said the average £25m cost to set up a new academy, including a £2m donation from the sponsor in return for control over admissions was “very expensive”.

● On Your Marks from www.philanthropycapital.org