Upcoming Events :
Housing Seminar: Partnerships with the Public Sector – Avoiding the pitfalls
Thu 31 May 2012
Minerva House, 5 Montague Close, London, SE1 9BB
Gove hails positive response to academy policy
Thu 03 Jun 2010
More than 1,000 schools have expressed an interest in becoming an academy since the government invited them to do so.
Education secretary Michael Gove wrote to every school in England last week to invite them to apply for independent status.
The government believes that becoming an academy will help to drive up standards in the education sector and allow schools to be free of local authority control.
Speaking in parliament today, Mr Gove said the fact his letter has received 1,114 responses within a week has been "overwhelming".
Mr Gove stated that teachers and head teachers know more about how to run schools than politicians and local bureaucrats.
More than 600 schools which have been rated as outstanding by Ofsted inspectors are among those to apply to become an academy.
This includes 274 primary schools, 299 secondary schools and 52 special schools.
However, the move has not been universally welcomed by the teaching profession.
The Association of Teachers and Lecturers recently said it believes the government's plans to give schools more freedom to become academies are irresponsible and have not been thought through properly.
Andrea Squires, a partner at Winckworth Sherwood Solicitors, commented: "Given the volume of interest in the proposals, there is little doubt the education sector is facing a period of significant change.
"Care will need to be taken to avoid unintended consequences.
"Schools contemplating conversion will need to approach this with their eyes wide open."
