A major policy shift for Bury Council seems to be on the cards in proposals that are being put forwards by the Labour Group on Bury Council.

A paper is being received by the Council’s Cabinet this week, and next week (12 September 2018) the full council meeting in Bury will consider a proposal from Labour councillors will set out plans for a Bury Policy on how schools can voluntarily become academies, as well as looking at other options.

A school Academy is an independent school within the state sector. Currently most schools are accountable back to local people through the local authority with parents and local people serving as school governors. This is not the case with academies which are part often part of large ‘Multi-Academy Trusts’ which include schools from different parts of the country.

Bury has very successfully resisted the trend for schools to become academies, but the new Labour proposal seems a big change of this previous policy. They even recognises that there is a greater risk of schools being ‘forced’ to become academies because of the Council’s own poor OFSTED inspection last year for SEND children (Special Educational Needs and Disability).  The proposal from the Labour Group is here (motion 2), the detailed paper for the Cabinet meeting is here.

The Liberal Democrat councillors on Bury Council are interested in your views on this issue, before the important vote next Wednesday. Our Group Leader is Cllr Tim Pickstone – tim@burylibdems.net.