Total of 135 schools in Northamptonshire could be forced to become academies

Chancellor George Osborne announced in his Budget speech that all schools in England must become academies by 2020 or have official plans to do so by 2022.

In Northamptonshire, there are a total of 312 schools in the county, including 135 that are still run by the local authority.

Gordon White, a representative for the county branch of the National Union of Teachers (NUT), said the Conservatives were forcing their “ideology” on the education system.

He said: “All the schools that wanted to be academies have now converted. Forcing schools to convert will cause a problem with parents and governors who did not want their child’s school to be an academy.

“We have seen with some of the secondary schools in the county that have become academies that pupil outcomes have dropped.

“This is purely ideological and it is about the Conservative party forcing their education policy on Northamptonshire and the rest of the country.”

School statuses in Northamptonshire :

257 Primary Schools, including 129 local authority controlled, 100 academies, 22 voluntary aided and one free school.

34 secondary schools, including 30 academies, one voluntary aided, one foundation, one free school,

Five ‘all-through’ schools that are all academies and two free schools.

12 Special Schools, including seven academies and five local authority controlled.

Two ‘alternative provision’ that are both academies.