Urgent talks over council's future role if all state schools become academies

In the budget last week the Government said that all schools which have not started to convert to academy status by 2020 will be directed to do so under new powers.

The move will mean councils lose responsibility for all of their existing schools which will become autonomous with funding direct from Government. Most are expected to join multi-academy trusts.

Leeds City Council leader Judith Blake says the Government plan will result “in is an extremely costly and unnecessary reorganisation.”

She also warned it would mean putting “school buildings and land currently owned by the people of Leeds into the hands of a smaller number of unelected trusts.”

Her comments follow the IPPR think-tank calling for all strong performing councils to be allowed to run their own academy trusts.

Coun Blake said: “We are currently in urgent talks with other councils across the country and with local schools to discuss both the implications and potential ramifications of the Government’s academisation proposal.

From our talks so far, the overwhelming response from schools in Leeds has been one where they wish to continue working closely with the council, a view that is fully reciprocated by us. In our discussions, some schools have asked us to consider an academy trust, while others have said they would like to strongly oppose the move to force all schools to become academies. We will be considering carefully our discussions with other local authorities, schools and importantly parents and carers who so far have been left completely out of this debate by the government, before looking at how we as a council respond.”

In the Government’s White Paper, Education Excellence Everywhere, it says local education authorities would retain their responsibility for school places and should be a champion for children and families.

However, the IPPR think-tank has called for strong performing councils to be allowed to remain involved in running schools by setting up their own arms-length academy trusts.

The White Paper says that to ensure children continue to benefit from the best talent in local councils “it expects some people will leave local authorities to set up new academy trusts or to join existing ones”.

North Yorkshire’s corporate director for young people’s services Pete Dwyer said this was welcome, and added: “We will be exploring these opportunities in dialogue with the local educational community. It is essential that experience and capacity is available to drive and support improvement even within a very autonomous world.”

The IPPR also warned the Government has found it difficult to secure enough good sponsors for 5,000 academies and is now faced with trying to find the capacity to run 16,000 more state schools. It suggests councils with a strong record of improving schools should remain involved to help meet this.

In a response to the Government’s White Paper, it says: “There is already a source of capacity in the system in the form of high performing local authorities. Local authorities like Hackney, Barnet and Haringey perform just as a well as the top academy chains like Ark and Harris.

“These authorities should be allowed to set up their own ‘arms-length trusts’ to help support the move to a fully-academised system. The White Paper hints that this could be possible but stops short of recommending it.”

The prospect of all state schools becoming academies also raises questions over the admissions system and the provision of school places.

The Local Government Association, which represents town halls across the country, has repeatedly called for education authorities to be able to compel academies to accept more pupils.

Councils say that unless they have that power then it will be impossible for them to meet their “statutory duty” to provide a school place for all children living in their area. This issue will become more pressing if all state schools become academies. The IPPR raises similar concerns in its White Paper response.

It added: “Rising population numbers are putting a huge pressure on school places in some parts of the country – but academies are able to resist any efforts to make them expand.

“The White Paper does nothing to address this problem and there is a danger that some parents will struggle to find a school place as a result. IPPR recommends that local authorities should be able to require academies to expand if there is a shortage of places.”

Mr Dwyer added: “What matters to North Yorkshire County Council is not the name above the door, whether it is a school or an academy, but the quality of education provided.

“In this local authority, schools, including academies, have worked incredibly well together to deliver significant improvements in the numbers of children attending good and outstanding provision.”

Stuart Smith, Calderdale Council’s director of Children and Young People’s Services, said: “Calderdale Council has a good relationship with all of the schools in our area, and this will continue regardless of their status. We will continue to work with all schools to help ensure that local pupils achieve their full potential. As one of the highest performing authorities in the region we are anxious to continue this support. In recent years the only failing schools in Calderdale have been an academy and a free school and we are as keen to support these as any other school. We will consider the legislation and any ways that we might continue our approach to peer-led school improvement that has been so successful thus far.”

When the government’s plan to convert all state schools to academies by 2022 was announced last week, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “Full academisation will empower great teachers and leaders giving them autonomy and accountability to let their schools succeed.”

Teaching unions are set to stage a protest against Government plans to convert all state schools to academies. The demonstration in London tomorrow is being organised by two teaching unions - the National Union of Teachers and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers - which said there are serious concerns about the move.

A DfE spokeswoman said it was “disappointing” that the NUT and ATL were doing this. She added: “Pupils are already benefitting hugely from the academies programme and thanks to our reforms more of them than ever before are going to good or outstanding schools, meaning more parents can access a good school place for their children. The changes we are making will put control back in the hands of teachers and school leaders - those who know their pupils best - making sure every single child has the opportunity to fulfil their potential.”

Responding to Leeds Council’s comments they added : “The academy system empowers great teachers and leaders, and gives them the autonomy to make the decisions that are right for their community and their pupils. Full academisation will mean that all schools will be part of a dynamic self-improving system in which underperformance can be addressed decisively. “We are giving schools until 2020 to carefully consider the best arrangement for becoming an academy, and until 2022 to convert. Each Regional School Commissioner will play a pivotal role in recruiting new sponsors to take on underperforming schools, and we will be investing in the people and systems necessary.”