Trust schools could fall foul of councils

Councils will be able to take action if they feel the creation of trust schools in their area will not be in the interest of local provision, the education secretary has said.

Ruth Kelly told the North of England Education Conference last week that when a school became a self-governing trust, with links to local universities and business foundations, its local authority could refer the move to the schools adjudicator if it opposed the plans.

She was speaking after research commissioned by the Sutton Trust – which campaigns for improved access to education – showed front-line opposition to city academies, one of the policies in the government’s education white paper.

More than half of secondary school teachers in England and Wales do not think city academies are an appropriate way to raise standards in deprived areas, the survey finds.

The figure, 53 per cent, is up from 37 per cent who answered the same to an identical question last year.

Meanwhile, the new school admissions code of practice and the school admissions appeals code of practice will not come into effect from September 2007, as originally planned, to allow responses to consultations on the codes to be adequately considered. No new date has been set.

But plans to give looked-after children priority in admissions arrangements will go ahead in line with the original timetable.

Teachers’ Omnibus 2005 from www.suttontrust.com