The LGA opposes both forced academisation and the transfer of significant powers relating to education to unelected civil servants.
Key messages
The White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere sets out the Government's intention that all schools will be expected to become, or be in the process of becoming, academies by 2020, with all converted by 2022.
The LGA opposes both forced academisation and the transfer of significant powers relating to education to unelected civil servants who parents and residents are unable to hold to account at the ballot box.
Councils are among the country's most effective education leaders with 82 per cent of council maintained schools rated by Ofsted as Good or Outstanding. It defies reason that councils are being portrayed as barriers to improvement. It is vital that we concentrate on the quality of education, rather than on the legal status of a school.
There are no proposals in the White Paper to reimburse councils for the significant costs that they will face in the conversion of up to 18,000 maintained schools. The forced academisation of all schools, backed by new government powers, is a new burden and new burdens funding must be provided for this.
We have serious concerns about whether councils will have adequate powers to properly discharge their remaining education duties, for example in school place planning and protecting vulnerable pupils. This includes children and young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
