Outlook for Shropshire schools unclear after government U-turn on academies

Karen Bradshaw, director of children's services for Shropshire Council, said things are still unclear following changes to Government plans to force all schools to become academies.

Speaking at a meeting of the council's young people's scrutiny committee yesterday, she said: "It is early days in terms of what is coming from national government and what we are having to respond to.

"There are two bits of work that are separate but not mutually exclusive. The first is the consultation on the funding formula.

"What is clear is that the national level will fund as much as possible directly to schools. That will result in some of the funding that local authorities have being removed and a significant change in the responsibility of local authorities."

She added that while the plans to force all schools to become academies had changed, there was still an emphasis on encouraging the move.

The change came following pressure from teachers, parents and local authorities after Education Secretary Nicky Morgan said all schools would be forced to become academies by 2022.

Now schools that are not rated "good" or "outstanding" may be forced to become academies, along with those that are failing, and any schools under the control of a local authority where it is deemed "not viable" to continue running them.

Ms Bradshaw said: "There is work to be done to determine what the future might look like and how we get there.

"Shropshire Council and its officers and members have committed to provide leadership, guidance and support to schools by engaging with our teachers and governing bodies."

The council will also explore the possibility of creating authority-led multi-academy trusts as well as how it can support schools around the county.

Concerns were raised by members that if a school joined a trust outside of the county, funding could be given to the trust from the council and then used in other schools outside the region.

Chris Mathews, Shropshire Council commissioner for education improvement and efficiency, added that there was also a risk the council would lose control of schools and the ability to close them would lie with the academy trust.

Members heard that meetings would begin in the coming weeks with teachers and governors to try and get a clearer picture for the future.