Nick Gibb says that “international evidence is clear: autonomy works”. In fact, the evidence from the OECD states that “school autonomy may have a negative effect on equity by favouring groups in society that are already advantaged” and “there is little evidence that the introduction of market (autonomy) mechanisms in education is more effective in reaching the ‘hard core of education’ than other policies”.

So, Mr Gibb’s rhetorical question can be clearly answered - schools should not become academies because it is likely that they will create a more unequal society and fail to address the real issues of underachievement.

Frank Newhofer, Oxford.