Liberal Democrat Party leader T m Farron MP has strongly criticised the Government on its priorities for school education, and the decision recently announced that ALL schools must convert to being an ‘Academy’.

Tim wrote an Open letter to teachers at Easter, on the eve of their main teaching union conference. The full letter can be found here.

Ensuring every child has the opportunity to make the most of their talents and be anything they want to be is at the very core of what we believe

The Government think that converting a school to an academy will automatically drive up standards. They’re wrong. What drives up standards is a well-funded education system and a teaching workforce who receive proper support and recognition for their work.

Academies are schools that are run by a private sponsor. They are outside of the local family of schools, not accountable to the local community, allowed to set their own curriculum and terms and conditions for staff.

Our fear is that this policy will be a costly and disruptive process for thousands of schools across the county, most of whom are already facing significant pressures including squeezed budgets and falling teacher morale.