The upcoming budget is set to unveil the legislation that will convert all schools within England to independent academies which will no longer be controlled by local authorities. The procedures can be implemented as early as Thursday and will begin the pledge made by Prime Minister David Cameron last autumn. The leader expressed his desire to place education control into the hands of headteachers and educators rather than bureaucratic figures. The move comes following criticism regarding government inaction throughout the referendum campaign, and Cameron and the Chancellor George Osborne wish to show that they are in the process of administering changes through a government in reform. Reports state that the plans will be a fundamental element of the budget unveiled on Wednesday as there is an urgent need to start the process ahead of the purdah and May elections, including the EU referendum. Labour party members are anticipated to resist the plans, claiming that the severance of thousands of schools from council supervision will result in Whitehall assuming both accountability and oversight. Shadow Schools Minister Lucy Powell argued that converting academies does not guarantee improvement in school standards. She instead recommended that ministers focus on addressing teacher shortages, sorting out school capacity and inequality. The chances of the legislation reaching official status are high however, as the Conservative Party is largely in support of the issue, and the SNP would probably avoid voting on matters concerning English education. The white paper is set to appear in a matter of days before the development of the education and adoption bill into law. The bill was introduced to provide a speedy response to dealing with failing schools, which involves eliminating bureaucratic and legal details and granting control to academy sponsors. The government predicted that up to one thousand of the 24,000 schools in England were failing and would be transformed into academies due to this bill. Presently however, out of the 5,000 schools in England, only 85% of primaries remain under local authority control. The new legislation could potentially bring the local authority’s role in education nationwide to a complete end. Many sponsors that are good enough to take on the required number of schools are needed, but presently some Academy Trusts have been accused of underachieving.

After years of debate and opposition from teachers’ unions, the government has finally revealed its true agenda. It appears that their priority is making every school in the country an academy, and they have made no secret of this fact. This has left parents and teachers feeling outraged.

According to Kevin Courtney, the deputy general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the government has abandoned the fig leaf of ‘parental choice,’ ‘school autonomy,’ and ‘raising standards’. Instead, they have made it clear that they intend to remove all schools from collaborative structures within a local authority family of schools. From now on, all schools will be run by remote academy trusts, which will be unaccountable to parents, staff, or local communities.

Local councils have also expressed their anger at the government’s decision. Councillor Roy Perry, chairman of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, has pointed out that Ofsted has rated 82% of council-maintained schools as good or outstanding. This indicates that councils are not barriers to improvement and that their efforts have been successful.

He has also noted that only 15% of the largest academy chains in the country perform above the national average in terms of pupil progress. This is in stark contrast to 44% of council-run schools, which shows that academisation is not necessarily the answer to improving education standards. Councillor Perry has emphasized the importance of focusing on the quality of education and a school’s ability to deliver the best results for children. This is far more critical than the legal status of a school and the government’s agenda.

The Local Government Association is firmly opposed to forced academisation and giving significant powers relating to education to unelected civil servants. Parents and residents must have the authority to hold these individuals accountable at the ballot box. Ultimately, the goal should be to provide the education and support necessary in each area, no matter the legal status of the school.