COUNCIL SET TO OPPOSE GOVT SCHOOLS ACADEMY DRIVE:
COUNCILLORS are due to decide this Wednesday whether to try to resist any move by the Government to force all schools to become academies.
They were scheduled to approve or reject a motion tabled by Cllr Tom McInerney (children, schools and families) and seconded by Cllr Mark Dennett asking Halton Borough Council to write to the secretary of state to ask her to consider allowing the local authorities and willing schools to set up a ‘new educational partnership’.
Cllr McInerney’s notice said the ‘vast majority’ of Halton’s schools are ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’.
The Government announced in March that it intended to force all primaries and secondaries to become academies by 2022, meaning they would be taken out of local authority control.
However, education secretary Nick Morgan backtracked and ditched the plans in May after an outcry.
Cllr Rob Polhill, Halton Council leader, told the Weekly News that although the Government appears to have done a U-turn, ministers are still ‘determined’ to make all schools academies.
He said: “Halton has many successful schools.
“This success has been achieved by focusing on the children, and on achieving good educational, good vocational and good extra curriculum out- comes; not on governance or who is in control of the school.
“Partnership is critical to the success we have delivered in Halton.
“The partnership between the council, its partners, schools and parents is a strong one in Halton.
“The Government is looking to break up this effective partnership and remove local authorities from the partnership.
“This is a serious mistake and removes from the partnership people who understand schools, understand education and understand Halton’s children’s needs.
“The council will continue to have a dialogue, in partnership with our schools and other partners such as Riverside College, to ensure our young people are given the very best learning opportunities so they can succeed.”