New children’s wellbeing and schools bill aims to bring to an end decades of high-profile academy freedoms

Three freedoms which have been handed to academy trusts over the past two decades are to be scrapped if a new children’s wellbeing and schools bill, which was being introduced into Parliament today, become law.

The government is reportedly moving to require academies to follow teachers’ pay and conditions arrangements and the national curriculum, as well as mandating that all new teachers to be working towards qualified teacher status before they enter the classroom.

Meanwhile, the legal requirement that ministers must issue academy orders for all schools which fail Ofsted inspections is to be scrapped, in favour of the ability of the Secretary of State, if necessary, “support academisation by other means”.

Councils will also be able to set up new schools under the legislation – replacing the current “free schools presumption,” whereby local authorities identifying the need for a new school have to seek proposals for an academy.

All schools “will have to co-operate with councils on school admissions,” as Schools Week put it, with councils given “greater powers to ensure admissions decisions reflect local needs including the placement of vulnerable children”.