Forced academisation of primary schools is ‘immoral’
Forcing underperforming schools to become academies is “immoral”, because of a lack of evidence about the policy’s success, according to a panel of senior education figures.
Currently, non-academies that are rated “inadequate” by Ofsted are legally required to convert to academy status.
But the policy has come under fire by an expert panel convened by the Association of School and College Leaders to review primary accountability.
Speaking today at the annual Academies Show in Birmingham, Julie McCulloch, the ASCL’s interim director of policy, gave the first public indication of the group’s thinking.
The group includes Robert Coe, director of the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University; Greg Watson, chief executive of GL Assessment; Lee Owston, Ofsted’s specialist advisor for early education and Dame Alison Peacock, chief executive of the Chartered College of Teaching.
Read the full article on the Tes.