Colchester’s Will Quince urged the government to put its plans announced in last month’s budget on hold as he warned that forcing every school to become an academy was an “unnecessary shake up for the school and the local council”.
He said schools which were well run and well governed should be left alone as there were plenty of good and outstanding schools across the country which were maintained by local authorities.
Mr Quince, who joined the House of Commons last year, said he was not convinced there would be a “great leap in results” as a result of the move and said it could centralise power in Whitehall.
He said that the government was leaving councils with the most contentious responsibilities - transport and admissions.
He was speaking in a debate called by the Labour Party, who say the controversial plans to force all schools to become academies erode freedom and have no basis in evidence.
South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge said he could not understand why outstanding schools that do not want to become academies are being forced to do so.
He said: “I do have many reservations about the specific proposal about enforced academisation and, particularly as other MPs have said, in relation to rural primary schools.
“I recently visited All Saints Primary School in Lawshall, near Bury St Edmunds in my constituency.
“They are an outstanding school in every sense of the word. They said to me they would not want to become an academy.
“And what I fundamentally struggle with is a very simple point that I should go to them and say despite the fact that your school is outstanding, that all of your staff are working brilliantly and delivering fantastic education, that we are now going to force you to become an academy.”
Shadow education secretary Lucy Powell insisted the Government’s proposals, which have sparked backbench Tory concerns, would heap pressures on schools already struggling with sweeping reforms and budget cuts.
The Labour frontbencher demanded to know why ministers were intent on the policy when schools that want to become academies can already do so and schools deemed failing can be forced into chains.
She highlighted Tory concerns as she attacked the lack of choice in the “one size fits all” model.
Published in the EADT.
