Morgan signals easing of academisation requirement, BBC reports

According to the BBC, Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has suggested she will consider making it easier for councils to form their own multi-academy trusts.

Draft plans published in April dictate that all England’s state schools must become academies, run by trusts rather than councils by 2022. However, Morgan has hinted that the requirement for councils to set up non-profit companies to become trusts could be waived.

The news comes after the County Councils Network (CCN), which represents 37 conservative local authorities, warned that the move would not raise school standards.

The BBC has reported that a government source has said that the requirement for councils wishing to form their own multi-academy trust to set up a non-profit ‘social enterprise’ has not yet beed decided.

However, the source maintained that the government would not alter its position on the academisation deadline of 2022.