Crossword Genius

In academies, say, education's attempted (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

essayed

'attempted' is the definition.
('essay' can be a synonym of 'attempt')

'in academies say education's' is the wordplay.
'in' indicates a hidden word.
'ESSAYED' is hidden in the letters of 'academies say educations'.

(Other definitions for essayed that I've seen before include "tested" , "Had a go" , "Attempted, strove" , "Tried (E, not A)" , "Made formal attempt" .)

I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
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