Academy plans will "ruffle feathers" in education sector, says legal expert
A legal expert who acts for a large number of academies in Shropshire said the Government’s academy plan would “ruffle some feathers” in the education sector.
Chancellor George Osborne announced in his budget on Wednesday that all schools in England must become academies by 2020, or at least have firm plans to become an academy by 2022.
William Morse, employment partner and head of education at Lanyon Bowdler, who specialises in helping schools during their conversion to academies, said he was surprised at the timescale set by the Government.
“It is a clear statement of intent from the Government and it’s a very short timescale for schools to make a major change,” he said.
“The changes for staff and pupils when becoming an academy can be considerable, both culturally and financially.
“It’s important that schools start thinking about the process as soon as possible, because from our experience the conversion to an academy can be smooth but only if schools get the right professional advice from the start.
“Academies are not popular with everyone within the education sector and these announcements will certainly ruffle some feathers.
“Conversion to academy can bring with it great benefits. The important thing is for people to take a positive approach, seek advice and start planning as soon as possible to make it work for their school.
“The white paper to be issued by the Department for Education will give more of the vital detail relating to these changes and we will read that with interest.”
