Ms U-turn strikes again! Morgan set for climbdown on academies reform
NICKY Morgan is facing another humiliating U-turn over plans to remove all schools from local authority control as she battles a backbench rebellion.
The Education Secretary is discussing a range of concessions to placate Tory rebels over her pledge to force every school to become an academy.
In what would be a major climbdown for the Government, it is understood that she could allow the best-performing councils to run their own academy chains.
Some councils could also be allowed to keep powers to force academies to take vulnerable pupils or those with special needs, and direct them to expand to meet demand for new places. The row-back would be a humiliation for Number 10 after David Cameron said he wanted to make ‘ local authorities running schools a thing of the past’.
George Osborne announced last month that all schools in England would have to become academies within six years.
This would be the latest in a string of climb- downs for the Education Secretary, who earned herself the nickname Ms U-turn thanks to a number of changes of heart on policy since taking over from Michael Gove two years ago – including scrapping a series of guidelines set out by her predecessor.
Yesterday, teachers’ leaders said the concessions would ‘blow out of the water’ the Government’s plans to stop councils running schools. Up to 40 Tory MPs are thought to oppose the plans, which they say would mean severing good schools from well-performing councils at unnecessary cost.
One rebel described the policy as a ‘f****** poison’ while Paul Carter, chairman of the County Councils Network, has called for ministers to think again.
Yesterday, Tory MP David Davis urged the Government to rethink its ‘ one size fits all’ approach, which he said risked ‘undermining’ its success so far.
Suggested concessions include allowing the best-performing local authorities to run their own academy chains. Until now, ministers have said council education officials would have to leave their jobs to set up chains.
Councils could also be allowed to keep much of their existing powers to tell academies to provide more places by expanding, or to take vulnerable children.
Many Tory rebels do not think the suggested concessions go far enough and are continuing to push for academy conversion to be non-compulsory.
Some fear rural schools may have to close because there would be little financial incentive for multi-academy trusts to take them on. A spokesman for Mrs Morgan refused to comment on the conversations, which are understood to be ongoing.
A government source said: ‘Of course we continue to engage with MPs and councillors to address concerns but the policy remains all schools becoming academies by 2022.’
Academies are state schools which are independent of council control and can set their own budget, admissions policy, length of school day, and cur- riculum. Almost two-thirds of the 3,381 secondary schools in England are academies, but just 2,440 of 16,766 primary schools have changed status.
Yesterday Mrs Morgan said she would press ahead with forcing all schools to convert, adding: ‘I will not be the Secretary of State that leaves the job of making our schools as strong as possible undone.’ However, responding to questions from Tory MPs, she conceded ‘talented individuals’ in local authorities could help run academies.
Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said yesterday: ‘These concessions totally blow out of the water the Government’s key drive to make “local authorities running schools a thing of the past”.’
Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said allowing local authorities to run their own multi-academy trusts was an ‘absurd proposition’.
She added: ‘It would cost millions to create these new structures for no good purpose. It is astounding Nicky Morgan is sticking to this unnecessary and costly plan.’ A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘We want to work constructively with the sector to ensure standards continue to rise.’
Comment – Page 14
‘Unnecessary and costly plan’