MORE than a dozen of Swindon’s top schools have been invited to become academies within months.

Under radical education reforms unveiled yesterday they will be able to set their own curriculum and pay rates.

There is currently just one in the town, Swindon Academy, which operates from sites in Beech Avenue and Alton Close, Penhill.

Education Secretary Michael Gove said he was writing to every primary, secondary and special school in the country asking them to apply for academy status.

But schools rated “outstanding” by Ofsted have been pre-approved, meaning those that apply now can reopen as academies as early as September.

Four secondary schools and nine primaries in Swindon have been awarded the top rating since 2007, the Advertiser can reveal. The secondaries are Highworth Warneford School, St Joseph’s Catholic College, Ridgeway School and New College Swindon.

The primaries are Beechcroft Infants, Covingham Park Infants, Eastrop Infants, Grange Infants, Haydonleigh Primary, Moredon Primary, Shaw Ridge Primary, St Andrew’s Church of England Primary Blunsdon and Wroughton Infants.

New academies could expect to receive roughly 10 per cent more funding – direct from central government – than they currently get from their local education authority, according to a Department for Education spokesman. They would also run their own finances and could be managed by outside companies.

The move is likely to lead to a dramatic expansion of the controversial academies programme, which – under Labour – was focused on replacing struggling schools in poorer areas.

It would also allow primary schools to claim the new freedoms for the first time. Across England, there are around 2,000 “outstanding” primaries, as well as more than 600 top-grade secondaries.

Mr Gove said: “Teachers know how to run schools, not bureaucrats or politicians. Many schools have already shown a keen interest in gaining academy freedoms. They want to use those powers to increase standards for all children and close the gap between the richest and the poorest.”

But the expansion of academies came under fire from the teachers’ unions, which warned the plans were “irresponsible” and would backfire.

Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “There is simply no evidence that academy schools perform better than traditional community schools.”

And Shadow Education Secretary Ed Balls said: “Our academies programme was all about transforming our most under-performing schools. What Michael Gove is saying to schools all around the country is ‘break away, go off and do your own thing’.

“These schools will get extra resources which in effect will come from other schools in their area, and he is doing this first for those who are already doing well.”