Concerns over plans to make all Somerset schools into academies

Concerns about government plans to turn all schools into academies by 2030 have been raised by Somerset councillors.

The Department for Education (DfE) published plans in March for schools to become part of "strong trusts", meaning they would not be council-controlled.

But during a recent council meeting it was revealed that several councillors are "not enthusiastic" about the plans.

The DfE said that "schools will benefit from the expertise and support of their academy trust".

Somerset currently has 130 academies, which are organised into multi-academy trusts.

The white paper from March lays out ambitions for all remaining council-controlled schools to become academies within the next eight years.

To achieve this, the government will provide extra support for schools in underachieving areas - including an investment in high-speed broadband.

West Somerset is one of 55 areas in the UK that will receive investment, in order to raise Ofsted ratings.

Amelia Walker, the council's assistant director for education partnerships and skills, told the meeting on Monday that the council was working with the government and the Diocese of Bath and Wells to see how the proposals could be implemented.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, she said in a report: "It is clear there is significant scope to create a more sensible distribution of schools and trusts.

"However, we are mindful that 2030 is eight years away, and many members (across all parties) are not enthusiastic about full academisation."

Concerns were raised by councillors Andy Hadley and John Hunt about whether the council would have to fund building repairs to schools only to have them immediately taken over by trusts, and that the provision of broadband by the Department for Education would not reach rural areas in Somerset that need it most.

There was also concern over the accountability of academies, especially if a school which had joined one had failed to improve as a result.

Eileen Tipper, a school governor on the council's children and families scrutiny committee, said the pressures on schools to become multi-academy trusts were "considerable and widespread", and that taking decision-making away from school's could cause challenges.

"The input of stakeholders, especially parents, are markedly limited if you go into a trust," she added.

Education Secretary James Cleverly said that the government "is working continuously to improve education standards in the South West" and that "schools will benefit from the expertise and support of their academy trust".

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