Chancellor George Osborne confirmed in his Budget that all schools in England must become academies by 2020 or have official plans to do so by 2022 and it is believed that draft legislation to enable the conversion of schools could be published within days.
Mr Osborne said that providing schooling is the single most important thing that will help children from disadvantaged backgrounds to succeed, which is in turn the single most important thing that can be done to boost the long-term success of the country.
Therefore his plan is to “set schools free” from local bureaucracy, so that by 2020 all schools must have converted or be in the process of converting to academy status and those that fail to do so will be forced under radical new powers to be adopted by the Government.
The proceeds of a sugar tax on fizzy drinks, also announced in the Budget, will be used to boost sport in primary schools while secondary schools will get funds for after-school activities. There will also be a new focus on school performance in Northern England. In addition, an extra £500 will be made available to ensure that a “fair funding formula” for schools will be set up by the end of this Parliament.
The legislation will take the form of an Education Bill, which will take every single state school in England out of local government control. It will also begin the process of implementing a pledge by Prime Minister David Cameron in his conference speech last Autumn.
Although the move has been criticised by the Labour party and unions, the legislation is likely to pass because the issue is widely supported by Conservatives and the SNP would probably abstain on any votes affecting English education. The white paper will come just days before the Government’s Education and Adoption bill is made law.