Councils allowed to set up academy trusts in shake-up of schools system

Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, described the parent pledge policy as ‘levelling up in action’. Photograph: lovethephoto/Alamy

Plans to redraw England’s schools system will allow councils to establish their own academy trusts and give schools the opportunity to leave failing ones.

The policies are set out in a schools white paper to be published on Monday and include a “parent pledge” for families to request additional support for their children, which has been dismissed as a “gimmick” by school leaders.