Conservatives would turn 'coasting' schools into academies

In a speech today, David Cameron set out plans to convert around 3,500 ‘coasting’ schools to academy status if their Ofsted ratings do not improve.

The Prime Minister is proposing that all schools graded 'requires improvement' would have new leadership imposed on them and be taken over by an academy trust if they do not have a credible plan to raise them to 'good' or 'outstanding'.

Speaking at Kingsmead School in Enfield, Mr Cameron said, 'We are waging war on mediocrity. We are saying no more sink schools – and no more “bog standard” schools either.

'How will we do this? By saying to schools: if you’re not good or outstanding, you have to change. If you can’t do it yourself, you have to let experts come in and help you, people who have a track record of running great schools and turning around failing ones.

'Under a Conservative Government, any school that Ofsted says “requires improvement” and cannot demonstrate that it has the capacity to improve will have to become a sponsored academy.

'Academies have turned around hundreds of failing schools, so just think what they could do for hundreds more coasting ones.'
 
However, Unions highlighted reports from MPs on the cross-party education select committee and the public accounts committee, both published last week, which criticised the academies and free schools programme and pointed to the lack of evidence that it was leading to improved standards.