Academisation of schools – good news

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May 6th 2016

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North Thanet`s MP, Sir Roger Gale, has described as “very good news” the announcement made by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan indicating that not all schools will be required by law to become academies by 2022.

“I received a phone call from the Minister for Schools (Nick Gibb) earlier today to inform me of the outcome of the discussions that I and a few other colleagues have been engaged in “ says Sir Roger.
“I am very pleased that as a result of the input that we have made on behalf of Head Teachers adjustments have been made and through sensible discussions with a listening Minister rather than through megaphone politics adjustments have been made. This is emphatically not a `U-turn`. The Government`s intention to see schools become Academies remains intact but the hope and expectation is that this will in most cases be achieved through consensus and not through compulsion. Only schools at present controlled by local authorities with too few remaining non-academy units and those under the management of LA`s that are failing, will be instructed by the Secretary of State to transfer to Academy status.

While there are some very good small stand-alone Academies – some with less than fifty pupils – I know of some excellent small local units that feel that they will lose their identities if they are compelled by force of economic circumstance to become part of a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) under an Executive Headteacher. I hope that Nicky Morgan`s statement this afternoon will offer some reassurance that she is listening and that there will be wide consultation before the implementation of these measures”.

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