Legislation to enable the conversion of every school in England into an academy could be published within days, Schools Week understands.
Education secretary Nicky Morgan is expected to address the House of Commons on Thursday, just one day after the budget, which is expected to include an announcement about converting thousands of schools.
The Guardian is reporting the academies legislation will be a key announcement by George Osborne tomorrow, and ministers are thought to be keen to begin the legal process before the pre-election purdah period, during which publications by government are restricted.
It comes less than a month after the government’s education and adoption bill was passed by Parliament. It was due to pave the way for all failing and coasting schools to become academies, and was expected to be signed into law by the Queen next month.
Secondary legislation to define what a coasting school is was expected later this year. It is not known if the government will proceed with this if new laws are passed.
The latest figures show that around 61 per cent of the 3,381 state secondary schools in England are already academies, compared to just 14.5 per cent of its 16,766 primaries.
Tarquin De Launcey
March 15, 2016 at 5:27 pm
If our primary school is forced to become an academy I, and all the teaching staff and governors, will resign. What possible future is there for primary education under this government?
Janet Downs
March 15, 2016 at 5:47 pm
Over five years have passed since the Academies Bill passed through Parliament with the speed usually reserved for national emergency followed by unrelenting propaganda pushing academy conversion yet still 74% of schools in England are not academies.
Ensuring 74% of England’s schools become academies by 2020 would require unprecedented speed. Such haste results in recklessness, sloppy oversight and careless use of taxpayers’ money.
Jamie
March 15, 2016 at 5:53 pm
Where do you get your facts from? 74%?
Janet Downs
March 16, 2016 at 11:03 am
DfE. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development
Download ‘Open academies and academy projects in development: March 2016’ to get the spreadsheet. Click on ‘summary’ tab at bottom. Scroll down for % of state-funded schools. This shows 25% of schools are academies, 1% are free schools and 74% are LA maintained.
Cat
March 15, 2016 at 6:54 pm
Disgusting!We no longer live in a democracy.I can’t see how this will help the recruitment crisis.
Craig
March 16, 2016 at 10:25 am
This is not about helping the recruitment crisis, it’s about hiding it. Academies don’t have to employ qualified teachers or be tied down to the pay scales, and a large proportion of the support staff will be disposed of in the name of (in)efficiency.
The next announcement will then be that Academy Trusts can make a profit and the privatisation of our education system will be complete.
Janet Downs
March 16, 2016 at 10:58 am
One-third of the promised £1.5b would go on conversion costs alone. http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2016/03/one-third-of-osbornes-promised-15b-would-go-on-conversion-costs