North East MPs grill Nicky Morgan over academy plans
The Education Secretary defended government plans for academisation to two North East MPs who challenged the Department’s decision to “inflict” it on all schools.
Nicky Morgan faced the Education Select Committee on Wednesday, answering questions about the Department’s White Paper proposals.
Committee member and MP for Gateshead Ian Mearns pressed for an explanation as to why schools that are already Good or Outstanding, and that work collaboratively within the Local Authority area – such as those in his constituency – will be forced to become academies. Mrs Morgan argued: “I don’t think it’s a question of inflicting anything on anybody. I think it is a question of offering people the opportunity to be autonomous and run themselves.”
Mr Mearns added that in 2014 the Education Secretary said she was not a “forcing type of person” and asked what had changed in the meantime. Mrs Morgan reiterated her plans to build a consistent system, adding that parts of the country are still not good enough: “We will never sit back and say education is sorted!”.
Mrs Morgan also addressed issues raised by committee member and MP for Newcastle upon Tyne North Catherine McKinnell, who suggested that in light of the struggles the Department has had in the past couple of weeks (such as scrapping of the Sats KS1 spelling exam after it was accidentally published as a practice paper months before), there are concerns that the DfE’s huge task of overseeing the academisation of all schools could result in a chaotic process: “it’s not just teachers that are concerned about how the process has be handled. It’s parents as well, and there seems to be a weakning of confidence in the Department for Education”.
The Education Secretary told Mrs McKinnell: “We have shadowed each other and we have gotten along well, but I would completely disagree with you”, stating that she had already apologised on behalf of her Department and the Standard Testing Agency and that it was only an “extremely regrettable human error”.
Nicky Morgan also argued that the conversion process will not be as costly as suggested by the Opposition due to economies of scale when the number of schools converting to academy status increased.
The Secretary of State for Education told MPs that plans to academise all schools by 2022 will be pushed forward as legislation, stating it is “absolutely the Government’s position”.
On Monday, Mrs Morgan also faced questions in the House of Commons, where she accused Shadow Education Secretary Lucy Powell of “obsessing over one chapter of the White Paper”, after being asked why schools that are already Good or Outstanding are being forced to convert.
She also echoed comments made by the Prime Minister on the Government’s commitment to the conversation plans, saying she would not “leave the job half done”.
The Education Select Committee hearing on Wednesday can be watched on Parliament TV, as well as the House of Commons oral questions.
Further reading:
Morgan offers no academy concessions (BBC)
Schools plan could lead to 10,000 multi-academy trusts, MPs told (The Guardian)
95 academies have been ‘failing’ for 5 or more years, claims Labour MP (Schools Week)
Cameron: Legislation to force schools to become academies will be in Queen’s Speech (Schools Week)
Academy trusts without ‘strong track record’ can’t have more schools (Schools Week)
Sats tests are ‘not shambolic’: eight things Nicky Morgan told MPs this week (TES)