Loss of academy freedoms could harm improvement of toughest schools – CST boss

The loss of academy freedoms proposed by government risks making it “more difficult for trusts to do the hard work of improving schools in the most challenging circumstances”, a sector leader has warned.

Confederation of School Trusts chief executive Leora Cruddas also said the government “must help us put a stop to all attempts by those who seek to undermine academy trusts”.

There is a risk that the loss of these freedoms makes it more difficult for trusts to do the hard work of improving schools in the most challenging circumstances

The government has announced today that its children’s wellbeing and schools bill will allow councils to open schools again, end automatic academisation of failing maintained schools and make academies follow national teacher pay and conditions.

Academies will also have to cooperate with councils on admissions and pupil place planning, follow the national curriculum and ensure all teachers have or are working towards qualified teacher status.

‘This set of provisions feels very difficult’

In a briefing for CST members, seen by Schools Week, Cruddas said seeing the detail of the bill would be “essential”, but “taken with the loss of the conversion grant and the trust capacity funds“, the set of schools provisions in the bill “feels very difficult”.

“The government’s narrative is that they are trying to create a core set of expectations and standards across all schools – but also bring some of the flexibility that has previously been reserved for trusts to the maintained sector.”

For example, the government has said it will ask the School Teachers’ Review Body to “consider additional flexibilities to make the statutory framework most effective for all schools”, before requiring academies to comply with national rules.

Cruddas said it would be “absolutely crucial for the government to work with employers to get this right. We do not underestimate how difficult this will be”.

‘There is a risk’

But she added that “in doing all of this, there is a risk that the loss of these freedoms makes it more difficult for trusts to do the hard work of improving schools in the most challenging circumstances in parts of the country where failure was previously endemic”.

Cruddas advised members to “focus not on the headlines that will inevitably come, but on securing the best possible outcome”.

“If this is truly about bringing the freedoms and flexibilities to all types of employers in a more mature school sector, a sector that works together, then we could get the provisions in the bill to a better place.

“But if this is to be the case, then the government must help us put a stop to all attempts by those who seek to undermine academy trusts.”

‘We must end anti-academy rhetoric’

She said academies were “now the majority of the state school system”, and “attempts to undermine or cast aspersion on academy trusts bring the state school system into disrepute.

“This is harmful not just to state education in England, but to our collective attempts to redress the crisis in recruitment and retention of our teachers and support staff.

“It is only by finally ending the anti-academy rhetoric that we will be able to build a schooling system in England that works together for the benefit of children.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL school leaders’ union, has also warned that “work will be needed to get these measures right, and the government must bring all parts of the sector – academies, other types of schools, and local authorities – with them on these changes in a positive way.

“The education sector has been through very significant structural changes over the past decade, and leaders and their staff have worked incredibly hard to make those structures work well in the best interests of children and young people. 

“Further changes must be done with care and must not seem ideological.”

‘Ambition and action’

But Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, called it a “significant, decisive bill with an exciting set of announcements..It’s got ambition but also action”.

Having the same pay and conditions framework would enable “teacher mobility across the school system and is obviously fairer, by making sure all teachers work under the same protections”.

Ending the presumption that all new schools need to be academies “shows a willingness to set a new and better direction. This is particularly welcome because it’s the first step in responding to the SEND funding crisis.

“Local authorities need the power and ability to open special schools, so we can break the unaffordable reliance on independent special schools. It’s much more cost effective to let local authorities play this fuller role.”

Kebede welcomed the end to the academisation duty, but also said the NEU would “push during the passage of the bill for the option for schools to leave MATs so that schools can join local rather than national ‘groups’.”