Government confirms it is ploughing on with academy conversions, despite coronavirus

“As you will be aware, the greatest issue currently facing the nation and the school system is Covid-19, therefore our efforts are focussed primarily on supporting the education sector on that and no academy orders will be issued at this time.”

So said one of the government’s Regional Schools Commissioners, Claire Burton, in a letter to a parent who has been campaigning against a school's plans to leave its local authority to become an academy. It was dated March 30th.

What has changed? For it is now the case that the government’s position is that academy orders can indeed be signed, despite Covid-19 still raging in England. And, although the spin from Sanctuary Buildings is that conversions are being considered on a “case-by-case” basis, in several cases, including the one above, academisation seems to be steaming ahead despite intense local controversies.

The case involving Burton’s letter is that of Steyning Grammar School, at the foot of the South Downs in West Sussex. Nearly 500 people have signed a petition against its plans to academise and join the Bohunt Education Trust, after plans emerged at the start of the year.

However, the Department for Education’s “South-East and South London” Headteacher Board, which advises Burton, met on May 21^st where it was advised to approve the conversion. Although of course the system is not transparent enough to offer the public an immediate announcement as to what happened – we often have to wait months for minutes of meetings to appear – Education Uncovered understands that the proposal was approved and that an academy order is being issued.