Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has defended the Government's decision to pump millions of pounds into academies.

Speaking after Battersea Technology College announced its decision to express an interest in becoming an academy, she said they "broke the cycle of disadvantage".

The Commons education select committee has criticised Ms Kelly for pursuing the academy programme when results show they are not achieving good results.

League tables published last week revealed nine of the 11 academies came in the bottom 200 schools in England.

But Ms Kelly said: "The academies have only been open for one or two years, and in some cases even less. It will take time for those results to improve.

"Over the last two years the percentage of children gaining five good GCSEs in academies has risen from 16 to 30 per cent."

In its report, the select committee recommended withholding the projected £5billion earmarked for setting up 200 academies by 2010 until they are proved to be cost-effective.

In answer to local headteachers' concerns that a new building and name does not automatically improve a school, Ms Kelly said the "energy and commitment of a sponsor" can turn a school around.

She added: "With their help we can create schools which parents want to send their children to. Academies can employ their own staff and bring energy to an area."

Asked about Battersea's other exciting educational project, the establishment of the country's first bilingual state primary school, she said it was an "interesting plan".

But she added she was more concerned with her proposals to invest £60million to encourage the development of foreign languages in all primary schools.

Ms Kelly said: "Learning a foreign language helps children develop into mature human beings and understand other cultures."

After admitting they were important skills, she defended Labour's position to make languages optional at the age of 14.

She said: "If we get children interested in languages when they are young, we should see an increase in the number of children who want to continue studying foreign languages at GCSE."

shalls@london.newsquest.co.uk