VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Report reveals SEND ‘blind spots’
11/02/2025 Research into the provision of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support in England has highlighted ‘inequalities’ and ‘blind spots.’ |
Landmark Bill to introduce ‘children not in school’ registers
17/12/2024 Council chiefs welcome Bill that could bring in new registers to identify children who are not in school but say it should go further to ensure child safety. |
Academy trusts have higher staff turnover than council schools
16/04/2024 Multi-academy trusts (MATs) have ‘higher’ annual turnover of classroom teachers at secondary level than council-maintained schools, according to a new study. |
Over 10,000 children missing from education system
22/02/2024 Local authorities in England have no idea what has happened to over 10,000 children who have left state education. |
Divided education system ‘unsustainable’, think tank warns
30/01/2024 An education system divided between academies and council-maintained schools has become ‘undesirable and unsustainable’, according to an education think tank. |
LGA: council-maintained schools outperforming academies
03/08/2023 Schools that are still maintained by local authorities receive better Ofsted outcomes than schools that have become academies, according to new research. |
Queen's Speech: New measures to raise education standards
10/05/2022 Local authorities will have a new duty to provide support to home-schooling families under new measures to reform education. |
Council-maintained schools perform better than academies, report finds
10/05/2022 Schools that stay with their council are more likely to perform better than those that convert to an academy, a new report has found. |
Council awarded £1.3m in damages over leaky roof
07/04/2022 An adjudicator has awarded £1.3m in damages to Wakefield Council following long standing issues with the design of an academy. |
Councils to be allowed to set up multi-academy trusts
28/03/2022 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s plan to allow councils to set up and run their own multi-academy trusts. |
Schools given 'try before you buy' offer to become academies
28/04/2021 Schools will be given a 'try before you buy' option to encourage them to leave council control and become part of an academy trust, the education secretary announced today. |
Head teachers call for funding to support collaboration between schools, academies and councils
18/11/2020 The Government should invest in partnerships between schools, academy trusts and local authorities to drive school improvements in local communities, a new study says. |
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Councils call for suspension of academy conversions during Covid-19 crisis
14/04/2020 Council leaders have warned the time and resources being spent on converting schools into academies is undermining efforts to provide enough school places for children during the Covid-19 crisis. |
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Whitehall launches £400m improvement fund for academies
28/10/2019 Academies and sixth form colleges can now bid for a share of a multi-million pound fund to help improve facilities, the Government has announced. |
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Council chiefs warn of ‘looming’ school places crisis
27/08/2019 Council leaders have called on the Government to give them more powers to open maintained schools to help avoid an impending secondary school place shortage. |
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Council schools get better Ofsted ratings than academies, report finds
23/05/2019 Council-maintained schools are more likely to remain ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ than their academy counterparts, new research suggests. |
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Over 50,000 pupils stuck in ‘zombie schools’
15/04/2019 Tens of thousands of pupils are stuck ‘in limbo’ as their academies wait to be transferred between trusts. |
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Academy chains perform ‘below average’ for disadvantaged pupils
24/12/2018 Two-thirds of academy chains perform below average for disadvantaged pupils, according to new research. |
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Labour pledges to scrap new academies
25/09/2018 Councils would be given control of academies and have new powers to build more schools if Labour were elected, the party conference heard yesterday. |
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Councils warn of secondary school places 'emergency'
31/08/2018 Half of all councils England may be unable to meet demand for new secondary school places within five years, town hall chiefs have warned today. |
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Whitehall ‘failing’ to learn from high-profile academy failures, MPs say
11/07/2018 The Government is ‘failing’ to learn from high-profile academy failures which have been damaging to the education of the children involved, MPs say. |
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Councils more likely to improve failing schools than academies
06/07/2018 Failing schools are more likely to be improved by councils than academy chains, new analysis has revealed. |
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Academies no better than council schools, think tank finds
19/06/2018 There is ‘little difference’ between academies and local authority schools when it comes to performance, according to an education think tank. |
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Whitehall must take control of 'faltering' academy finances, council chiefs say
25/05/2018 Ministers need to take control of 'faltering' academy finances or let councils step in, local government leaders have urged. |
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Whitehall announces decision to ‘simplify’ school assessment system
04/05/2018 Head teachers have welcomed the Government’s decision to ‘simplify’ the system by which schools performance is assessed. |
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Academy teachers ‘sceptical’ about effectiveness of academisation, poll reveals
20/04/2018 The majority of academy teachers and leaders are sceptical about the effectiveness of academy status, survey reveals. |
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Councils struggle to offer ‘integrated’ education due to academies
22/02/2018 Councils are struggling to take an ‘integrated, whole-system’ approach to education because of uneven mix of academies and maintained schools in many areas. |
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Government announces £45m for ‘successful’ academies
19/01/2018 The education secretary today announced £45m would be invested in ‘successful’ multi-academy trusts in a bid to drive up education standards in underperforming schools. |
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Half of councils unable to meet demand for secondary school places in five years
01/09/2017 A growing number of families will face problems finding a place for their child at a secondary school, local government leaders have warned. |
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Whitehall must 'closely monitor' primary academies, charity says
29/06/2017 A charity has urged Whitehall to ‘closely monitor’ education in primary academies to ensure quality is not negatively affected by academisation. |
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Councils call for greater power to increase first-choice school places
14/06/2017 Local government leaders have renewed demands to be given more power over school admissions following the latest figures on parental choice. |
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Councils call for power to turn around failing academies
10/02/2017 Councils have called for new powers to help them transform struggling schools, including the ability to sponsor schools that have been classified as unviable. |
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Councils accuse academies of cherry picking pupils
03/02/2017 Councils have warned their advice on where to place excluded pupils is being ignored so they should have the power to force academies to accept ‘hard to place’ children. |
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Academies need ‘transparent’ safeguarding arrangements to prevent child abuse
02/02/2017 A West Berkshire serious case review has reported there is a need for ‘clear and transparent’ governance arrangements of safeguarding, particularly in academies, to protect children from abuse. |
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Union defends ‘democratic’ role of councils in education
06/01/2017 Maintaining democratic accountability at the local level is key to education service delivery, says union as they warn against ‘discredited’ academy model. |
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LGA: Apprenticeship Levy ‘discriminates’ against council schools
06/01/2017 Small council-maintained schools should be treated the same as small academies and faith schools and be exempt from the Apprenticeship Levy, say council chiefs. |
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End of education grants ‘academisation by back door’
01/11/2016 Local authority leaders have branded a government move to end education grants to councils as ‘academisation by the back door’. |
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Government scraps forced academies plan
28/10/2016 Controversial plans to force all schools to convert into academies have been scrapped by the new education secretary Justine Greening. |
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Data reveals council-run schools performing better than academies
18/10/2016 Almost half a million pupils are in academies deemed inadequate or require improvement since converting from council-run schools, according to council chiefs. |
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Councils facing £320m bill for academisation plan
26/09/2016 The Government’s plan to covert school into academies could cost councils as much as £320m, new figures have revealed. |
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LGA welcomes education secretary’s academy comments
15/09/2016 Council bosses have welcomed comments by the new education secretary about schools not forced to become academies. |
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Councils call for oversight of academy finances after string of abuses
26/08/2016 Council chiefs are calling for local oversight of all school finances following a series of abuses by academies and free schools. |
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Cameron used final visit to announce 31 free schools
13/07/2016 On his final visit as prime minister, David Cameron has announced 31 new free schools, providing 20,000 places for pupils. |
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Academisation not always best for poorest pupils finds research
07/07/2016 One in five academy chains are performing below average for improving the education for disadvantaged pupils, new research has revealed. |
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Jobs 'under threat' from academisation plans
21/06/2016 Thousands of union members could face job and pay cuts as schools are transformed into academies, union delegate says. |
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Queen's Speech 2016: Education Bill could lead to 'backdoor academisation'
18/05/2016 A new Bill unveiled in the Queen’s speech today will legislate for the academisation of all maintained schools. |
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High-performing schools 'still at risk' of forced academisation
10/05/2016 Some outstanding local authority schools could still be forced to convert into academies, despite the Government back-tracking on the proposal last week. |
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Whitehall u-turn over forced academisation plans
06/05/2016 The Government has announced it is abandoning its plans to force all state schools to become academies. |
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Tory education chief sees ‘no democracy’ in forced academisation
29/04/2016 Devon’s Tory education chief has added his voice to protests over government plans to force all schools to become academies. |
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Government sticking to forced academisation plans
28/04/2016 The Government is sticking to plans to force all schools to become academies - but may leave door open for them to continue working with councils. |
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Local authority schools outperform academies, says research
26/04/2016 Council-run schools are outperforming academies in Oftsed inspections, research from the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed. |
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Minister prepares to back track on academies plan
25/04/2016 The Government could be preparing to back down on its plans to convert all council-run schools into academies. |
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County warns academies plan could impact on vulnerable children
22/04/2016 West Sussex County Council has added its voice to the growing opposition against government plans to convert all schools into academies. |
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Academisation: Upheaval will bring risks
08/04/2016 Tilden Watson outlines some of challenges facing the government's plan to convert all schools into academies by 2020. |
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Tory academy plans face ‘funding blackhole’, say Labour
04/04/2016 The Government’s plans for forcing schools to become academies are facing a ‘funding blackhole’ of over £1bn. |
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Academisation hinders chancellor's Northern Powerhouse plans, says councillor
31/03/2016 The chancellor’s forced academisation plans could hinder his own vision of a Northern Powerhouse, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for education tells The MJ. |
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Only 7% of teachers support forced academisation, NUT finds
29/03/2016 93% of school leaders do not support the Government’s policy to force all schools to become academies, according to a teachers’ union survey. |
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Nearly 2,500 academies not signed up to healthy school meal standards
22/03/2016 A loophole that enables nearly 2,500 academies and free schools avoid signing up to healthy school meal standards must be closed in a forthcoming child obesity strategy, town hall leaders say. |
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£560m ‘black hole’ in chancellor’s school plans
18/03/2016 The chancellor’s plan to transform every school into an academy faces a £560m funding shortage, according to a new analysis. |
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Budget 2016: All schools to be converted into academies
16/03/2016 Fixating on giving schools independence will not generate improvement in education standards, local government representatives have warned. |
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Councils hit out at plans to convert all schools to academies
16/03/2016 Council leaders have opposed plans to convert all schools into academies, saying the move 'defied reason'. |
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'Serious weaknesses' at seven multi-academy trusts highlighted
11/03/2016 Many multi-academy trusts (MATs) have been manifesting the ‘same weaknesses as the worst-performing local authorities’, the chief inspector of schools has warned. |
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Councils call for more powers to provide secondary school places
29/02/2016 Council leaders want to be able to open new maintained schools or compel academies to take on more students in order to ensure every child can get a place at a secondary school. |
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Plans to convert coasting schools passed through Parliament
25/02/2016 New measures to force councils to convert failing schools into academies have been passed through Parliament. |
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Cameron pledges to crack down on 'coasting' academies
07/12/2015 The government’s coasting schools programme is to be extended to cover failing academies, under plans due to be announced by the prime minister later today. |
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Spending Review: Osborne to phase out council-run schools
25/11/2015 Local authority-run schools will be a ‘thing of the past’, the chancellor announced in his spending review today. |
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Cracking down on 'coasting' schools
17/08/2015 Tiffany Cloynes outlines the implications for local authorities under new measures to tackle 'coasting' schools |
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Cameron: Every school should be an academy
17/08/2015 Prime minister David Cameron has said ‘every school in the country’ should be moved out of council control and converted into an academy. |
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Council joins schools and academies to launch education company
28/07/2015 Sheffield is uniting local schools and academies under a new company designed to share expertise during a period of ‘increasing pressure’ on budgets. |
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Nearly half of academies are 'coasting' warns report
24/07/2015 Almost half of academy chains have schools that are performing below tough new government guidelines, according to new analysis. |
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Hundreds more schools face academy conversion under new ‘coasting’ measure
30/06/2015 Hundreds more schools risk being taken out of council control under new government measures to identify ‘coasting’ sites. |
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Councils forced to convert 1,000 'inadequate' schools into academies
03/06/2015 New measures will force councils to convert schools rated ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted into academies. |
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Councils call for more power to hold schools accountable
26/05/2015 Council leaders are calling for more power to intervene in failing schools to help hold academies and free schools to account. |
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Academies are 'better' than council run schools, says education secretary
18/05/2015 Education secretary Nicky Morgan has prompted an angry response from teachers after claiming academies are better run than council controlled schools. |
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Clegg confirms 277 schools set for £2bn refurbishment
09/02/2015 Ministers have announced a further 277 schools across England will be rebuilt under a multi-billion pound wave of refurbishment. |
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No evidence of academies improving standards, say MPs
27/01/2015 There is no evidence so far that academies are driving improvement in English schools, according to the cross-party parliamentary education select committee. |
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Miliband talks of making academies accountable
09/01/2015 A Labour government could hand oversight of academies back to local authorities, Ed Miliband has suggested. |
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Councils ‘footing the bill’ for academies
05/12/2014 Councils are diverting more than £22m of their budgets to help subsidise the cost of the academies programme, town hall chiefs are warning. |
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Spending watchdog slams school inspection regime
30/10/2014 The regime for inspecting standards in English schools has come under fire in a report from the National Audit Office. |
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New education commissioner appointed to oversee Trojan Horse response
25/09/2014 Birmingham's beleaguered schools and academies are to be overseen by former chief inspector of schools Sir Mike Tomlinson. |
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Convert all schools to academies, says right wing think tank
23/09/2014 All council primary and secondary schools should be converted to academies over the next five years, according to a right wing think tank. |
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Government appoints new Ofsted chair
31/07/2014 A trustee of the UK’s largest academy chain group has been appointed as the new chair of Ofsted. |
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Report reveals varying success for academies
24/07/2014 The best academy chains are outperforming other state-funded schools, while others are failing to raise standards, research has revealed. |
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Report: funding agency urged to get a grip on academies
10/06/2014 The governance of England’s growing number of academies is going unchecked due to failings by the agency responsible for funding schools, according to MPs. |
