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IN Bristol's fast-changing educational landscape there remains one certainty year after year the number of city schools operating as academies will rise.

More and more schools now have the status which brings greater freedoms and the ability to act independently, with their funding being channelled directly from central Government rather than via the city council.

As the number of secondary academies begins to plateau, the biggest growth this year has come in the primary sector.

And the trend for the number of schools opting for academy status is showing no sign of slowing down.

While the anticipated changes in the political make-up of the country next year may see the collapse of the free school programme in its current form, the academy system is likely to remain in place whichever of the two largest parties seize power.

The two academy chains going from strength to strength in Bristol are regional chain the Cabot Learning Federation and national group Oasis Community Learning.

Both have blown a breath of fresh air into several schools which were previously struggling, bringing success to institutions which their local communities had lost faith in.

And both have added to their family of schools this academic year in a mission to replicate success already achieved elsewhere.

In February, Oasis is set to take over the running of Brislington Enterprise College.

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Freedom and independence