ABSTRACT
People have looked at the results of the choice, competition and marketisation in the international arena and seen the clear evidence of its success. Despite this, supporters of this strategy in the UK continue to claim that the widespread imposition of free schools and academies has improved public education, and that these schools are not only offering more 'parent choice' but clearly outperforming existing provision in maintained schools. However, academisation has been much more widely introduced, using a variety of centralised incentives and pressures, since 2010. Over half of England's secondary schools are now academies, although the rate of conversion is slowing down. Competition between schools has grown fiercer and risks resulting in pseudo-improvement: results that look good on paper but have actually reduced the standard of education received by children. The OECD UK Economic Survey 2011 said the excessive emphasis on exam results in England risked teaching to the test, 'gaming' and neglecting other essential skills.
