Reaction to the government’s announcement in its education white paper that all schools in England must become academies is remarkably muted. Last time this was tried, in 2016, ministers were forced into a U-turn, due in part to opposition from Conservative councils. Six years later, and six months after becoming education secretary, Nadhim Zahawi has sweetened the bill to win them over. Local authorities will now be allowed to set up their own trusts, spinning off their education departments into third-sector bodies. They have also been promised powers to intervene if and when academies are not delivering what is needed by communities. A long-awaited report on provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities is also due.
For years, multi-academy trusts (Mats) escaped inspection altogether, with Ofsted’s remit limited to individual schools. The Department for Education now finally admits that this hasn’t worked. Two reviews are on the way: one of academy regulation, and another of their senior leaders’ excessive pay.
