ATL

Damp squib on academies front

The low number of schools which have applied to become an academy gives lie to the assertion that the Academies Bill had to be rushed through Parliament before September, says the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, said:

"Interest in becoming an academy seems to be rather a damp squib.

"Our education system is too important to be subject to acting in haste, but repenting at leisure. It would have been far better to have given adequate time for the Bill to be properly debated, to ensure the legislation was right so that schools knew what they were applying for.

"We remain concerned that many of the schools which have applied won't have carried out any form of consultation. Democracy will not be well served if children, parents and staff first learn of their schools' plans to become an academy from the media.

"It will be interesting to see if the list of schools applying to become an academy is as accurate, or not, as the notorious building schools for the future list."

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.

2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first rate research, advice, information and legal advice.

3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.