Member News
Creating Academies on the scale proposed by the government will have the effect of transferring billions of pounds of publicly funded assets in the form of buildings and land into the hands of private sponsors.
NUT
The Bill follows on from the Conservatives' manifesto commitment to allow more state schools – including, for the first time, primary schools and special schools– to become academies. This will free them from local authority control.
Furthermore, schools will be able to apply for and become academies without consulting their local education authorities.
Under the proposals, any school rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted would be automatically approved for academy status.
The coalition agreement states that the new academies will follow an 'inclusive' admissions policy, although the Bill will allow those schools which currently utilise selection to some degree – such as grammar schools – to continue to do so.
Under the proposed legislation any school which achieves academy status will be deemed a charity.
In an article in the Times John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders warned that the plan might lead to:
"better schools having more money and greater independence and the other schools finding life more difficult."
He added:
"We must avoid that polarisation of the system because the people who suffer in that situation tend to be the disadvantaged."
In light of the above, the Bill might cause dismay among Liberal Democrat backbenchers who fought the general election on a platform of greater powers for local education authorities and a focus on the needs of disadvantaged pupils.
The Bill is expected to have a swift passage through Parliament, with the government aiming to have the first new academies ready for the start of the next academic year this September.
Existing legislation in this area is:
Section 482 of the Education Act 1996, as amended by Section 65 of the Education Act 2002, provides for the establishment of Academies and specifies the core characteristics of Academies.
Territorial Extent:
The majority of issues addressed in this Bill are devolved matters and generally apply to England and Wales only.
Progress:
House of Lords
1st reading: 26 May 2010
2nd reading: 7 June 2010
Committee stage:
- 1st sitting: 21 June 2010
- 2nd sitting: 23 June 2010
- 3rd sitting: 28 June 2010
Report stage:
- 1st sitting: 6 July 2010
- 2nd sitting: 7 July 2010
- 3rd reading: 13 July 2010
House of Commons
1st reading: 13 July 2010
2nd reading: 19 July 2010
Committee:
- 1st sitting: 21 July 2010
- 2nd sitting: 22 July 2010
- 3rd sitting: 26 July 2010
3rd reading: 26 July 2010
Ping Pong - House of Lords: 27 July 2010
Royal Assent: 27 July 2010
Article Comments
For the BHA, the Academies Bill represents a real step-change in policy that, without the amendments which we are seeking, could entrench irreversible religious privilege and discrimination in our schools system. The Bill forces all state-funded faith schools becoming Academies to become religious Academies, with no choice for those schools that wish to become more inclusive to do so. So, in addition to complete powers over the curriculum, their discriminatory admissions and employments policies will not only be preserved intact but will be enlarged. The effect of the changes will be to increase control by religious groups even further in these schools and remove the moderating influence of the state and the local community.
Naomi Phillips, British Humanist Association
29th Jun 2010 at 10:17 am
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
Caz
7th Jul 2010 at 10:38 pm