Labour’s schools bill reforms which propose rolling back academy freedoms have been heavily criticised by many, including high-profile trust bosses and former ministers.
The issue has dominated national newspaper coverage and parliamentary committees. But who are the trust leaders fighting for the government’s reforms?
We asked the Department for Education for the names of CEOs who supported their bill and would be happy to talk about it. They provided us with six names. We also tracked down some others. Here’s what they had to say …
Academy freedom changes ‘prevent race to bottom’
Labour’s wellbeing and schools bill is one of two halves. The first, covering safeguarding and social care, is widely welcomed.
But the other half – which focuses on the schools system and rolling back academy freedoms – has caused the government no end of grief.
After a concession on pay, trusts will now have to follow a national pay “floor, but no ceiling”. But freedoms over curriculum and employing unqualified teachers will be revoked.
Some CEOs have said this will stifle innovation. But Exceed Learning Partnership CEO Beryce Nixon said critics “don’t represent all the voices in the system”.
She suggested that some may opt to have a “narrower curriculum so their assessment models show they’re high performing in terms of outcomes”.
Sir Paul Tarn, of Delta Academies Trust, added: “What if you’ve got the next Lennon and McCartney going to a school that doesn’t have any music?”
And E-ACT chief Tom Campbell stressed that the changes do not “prevent innovation or excellence… [they prevent] a race to the bottom”.
Campbell said the change to pay also establishes “minimum standards [and] protects the profession”. He added: “We’re seeing a recruitment crisis partly because some academies have eroded terms and conditions.
“Setting a floor doesn’t prevent us going above it, and it helps create a more sustainable workforce across the system.”
Could Labour go further on pay?
A poll conducted by Edurio for Schools Week showed that almost 70 per cent of chief executives think the implementation of the national curriculum in all academies will have no impact on their work.
Almost 80 per cent gave the same answer when asked about plans to make academies follow a pay “floor, but no ceiling”.
Star Academies chief executive Sir Hamid Patel, another name provided by the government as someone in favour of its reforms, stated: “Many trusts already exceed these expectations, and the majority follow national frameworks while continuing to innovate – particularly in response to the current recruitment challenges.”
Some also want Labour to go further. Nixon, whose trust consists of 10 schools in Doncaster, said no pay ceiling leaves trusts like hers in a “challenging position” as others with “lots of different income-generation arms”, like teaching schools, will be able to
“Because I’m serving the most challenging areas across the country, I’m looking at that resource deployment and want that to go straight back into the children,” Nixon said.
“I don’t then want to be feeling I’ve got to be paying more money for roles because I’m just competing with somebody down the road.”
tarn also called for “recruitment allowances” and “finders’ fees” to be stamped out of the profession. Getting into “a bidding war” to take “a teacher from one classroom and put them into another” is a “nil-sum game” and “not a sensible use of public money”.
Schools in cold for ‘too long’
The bill says schools rated ‘inadequate’ won’t automatically be handed an academy order. This will now be at the education secretary’s discretion, with support offered through RISE improvement teams in cases where academisation “isn’t necessary”.
Last month, former academies minister Lord Agnew warned that “ambiguity” over academisation for failing schools will “present a get-out-of-jail card for the incompetent management of those schools”.
Others have said it will lead to more judicial reviews over academisation cases.
But Lift Schools CEO Becks Boomer-Clark said: “Structures don’t raise standards – people do. Strong schools, working together in strong partnerships, will continue to make the difference.”
And many of the bill’s supporters argue that the current system already leaves some in the cold. Nixon noted that “nobody’s been wanting schools in financial deficit”, meaning some have been left “without a trust for too long”.
Schools Week analysis from January showed the 310
