Gove defends academies claims after only 153 schools apply for the status

30 July 2010 1 min read Janaki Mahadevan Education

Education Secretary Michael Gove has been forced to defend the low number of schools applying to become academies after it was revealed that just 153 schools have applied for the status.

The Academies Bill was passed by MPs earlier this week allowing less than a week for the detail of the legislation to be debated.

But despite Gove’s claims last month that more than 1,100 schools had applied for academy status, it has been revealed that the total so far is a fraction of this number.

The 153 applications that have been received contain a range of secondary and primary schools.

Speaking on Radio 4 today, Gove dismissed claims that the number of applications amounted to a failure. He said the government wanted to give schools freedoms, but the "timetable for exercising those freedoms is for them to decide".

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