ATL on Government plans to force all schools in England to become academies

“This is an ideological step too far and not in the interests of children or their parents. It will mean parents will have no say in the running of their child’s school or the quality of the education it provides.

“There’s no democracy in forcing the majority of primary schools, which have chosen to remain working with local authorities, to become academies against their will.

“As it is, the Department for Education is already unable to control its academies and free schools budget, with costs rising without any improvement in education standards.

“It is hard to see how the Government’s plans will work when there aren’t enough high quality multi-academy trusts to cope with thousands more schools and some trusts are performing as poorly as the worst local authorities according to Sir Michael Wilshaw.”