‘Scrap free schools, end fat cat academy pay and deliver what works for school pupils’
LABOUR WILL scrap the free schools programme and end academisation, the Shadow Education Secretary announced yesterday.
Angela Rayner described the academy system as “not fit for purpose” as she pledged to end the “forced conversion” of schools, saying she would instead focus on delivering “what works” to get the best results for pupils.
She criticised the “fat cat” salaries of some executives at large academy chains, and said local communities have been shut out of decisions affecting schools in their area.
Academies, which receive their funding directly from central government, rather than through a local authority, and have more freedom than other schools, were started under Labour with the aim of helping schools in difficulty. Now all schools are able to convert.
Ms Rayner pointed to a lack of evidence that academy conversions under the Tories have improved results.
And she outlined plans to create a regulatory framework for schools, so parents and local communities are guaranteed a meaningful and active role in decision-making.
Existing academies will be brought back into an integrated National Education Service under the proposals, and the free school programme, designed to promote a form of academy, will be scrapped.
National pay rules will also be enforced to prevent executives from paying themselves “fat cat” salaries.
The Labour frontbencher said: “The Tories’ academy system is simply not fit for purpose. Labour will end the forced conversion of local schools to academies, scrap the inefficient free school programme and instead focus on delivering what works to get the best results for pupils.
“The Tories have thrown money at an academy and free school programme that is not improving outcomes for pupils, even while individual schools have their budgets cut year after year. We now routinely see the shocking sight of schools begging parents for financial support just to carry out day-to-day functions.
“Meanwhile, some executives at large academy chains are earning fat cat salaries from taxpayers’ money, and there are mounting scandals and evidence of financial mismanagement.
“For too long, parents and local communities have been shut out of decisions affecting schools in their area. The next Labour government will give power back to communities so that our schools are run by the people who know them best - parents, teachers and local communities.”
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “Under Labour we were falling in international league tables in maths, reading and science and poor performing schools went unchallenged and unchanged year after year.
“Thanks to Conservative education reforms there are now 1.9m more children in good or outstanding schools, more 6 year olds are fluent readers and the results gap between rich and poor has shrunk by 10 per cent in both primary and secondary school. “