Ministers plan to convert all schools in England to academies – what will Labour do?

Some parts of the Labour party oppose academies, but largely parents don’t care

Just under four in 10 of primary schools in England are academies or free schools (Getty Images)

With the news media understandably focused on events in eastern Europe, the Department for Education is quietly preparing to make a radical announcement. It plans for all state schools in England to become academies by 2030.

Currently, over three-quarters of secondary schools and just under four in 10 of primary schools in England are academies or free schools.

This plan will mark the end of local authorities as a major player in local education and the conversion of all so-called “maintained” schools into academies. Many will see it as the final piece of Michael Gove’s agenda.

In many areas “academisation” remains controversial. Critics say it removes local democratic accountability and gives unrestricted power – over teachers and students – to heads and academy trust CEOs. Advocates say it removes the dead hand of local politics from school leadership, and gives heads the freedoms to do what is best for their students by innovating and collaborating. They have largely been proven right.

The fact that academisation was originally a Blairite conceit did not stop Gove putting rocket boosters under the programme. As Labour moved left in opposition, it became more and more oppositional to the idea. Under Jeremy Corbyn, Labour ignored the evidence that academisation could help some of the poorest students in the country, and promised to roll back the entire project.

They were egged on by teacher unions – most notably the National Education Union, which has long hated academisation – not least because of the freedom it gives headteachers over teacher pay and conditions. (It’s worth noting the NEU’s joint general secretary Kevin Courtney has begun to move his union beyond its blanket.)

So, what will shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson do when her Conservative counterpart Nadhim Zahawi announces his 2030 target? Will Phillipson, who I think is among the most impressive moderates of her generation of Labour frontbenchers, follow the instincts of leftist Labour? Will she fight a needless battle against the policy or swerve that unnecessary pile up?

To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter by clicking here

In all the focus groups I have run with normal parents talking about education policy, almost never have they brought up – unprompted – the legal structure in which their school is governed. And even when asked they don’t care. What they do care about is standards of care, pastoral support, and teaching and learning.

Academisation might be a hot-button issue for the Corbynite fringe of the union movement and the London Labour party, but it is plainly not going to win her party any marginal constituencies at the next election.

Bridget Philipson could instead dig back through Labour’s history in education policy. Back in 1997, before academisation was even a twinkle in his eye, Tony Blair’s new government, one that did so much for schools and teachers, had a mantra: “Standards, not structures.” They were right.