Brace yourself: Lords Agnew, Nash, Baker and Harris lined up to speak on schools bill, with Gove waiting in the wings
Returning to Parliament: the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Image: iStock/Getty Images
Host of former education ministers poised to speak, with measures on academisation likely to continue to provoke debate.
A Who’s Who of high-profile figures, with expertise either overseeing or criticising the academies policy, have been lined up to offer their views as the much-discussed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill returns to Parliament tomorrow.
I counted nine former education secretaries or schools ministers who have been listed as speakers as the bill reaches its second reading in the House of Lords, most of them seemingly likely to criticise the legislation’s moves to impose some limits on academy freedoms.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 30 April 2025
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So Agnew, Harris, Gove and co are feeling the heat and rightly so. The absence of meaningful research data to demonstrate the value of academies (especially MAT's) is complling but does not seem to reach the ears of the new S of S for Education. The amount of money cascaded to academies (not least to pay their CEO's) and not to conventional state schools is appalling and the sought conversion of good and outstanding state schools to academy status against the wishes of staff and parents is frankly immoral. Champions like Christine Blower and Mary Bousted will mount a stern defence of the anti-academy stance. They deserve our thankks and support.