LGA calls for reduction in government control over schools

The Academies Bill, which has its second reading in the House of Commons this week, will offer all schools the chance to adopt academy status. This carries with it considerable autonomy, not just from council control but also central government influence in areas such as pupil welfare and the curriculum.

But the LGA wants to see all schools benefit from less central government control even if they decide against academy status. It says that "unnecessary bureaucracy" is stifling schools' attempts to drive up standards rather than helping them.

The LGA's Children and Young People Board is arguing that schools have been "subjected" to about 1,300 pages of new laws over the past 10 years, including the 265-page Apprenticeship, Skills, Children and Learning Act (2009).

Councillor Shireen Ritchie, chair the Children and Young People Board, said: "Educating our children and raising levels of attainment is a serious business. Of course there needs to be some rules and checks to make sure they get a good quality of schooling, but there is a danger that excessive guidance will hamper school staff and make it harder for them to get on with the most important job — that of teaching the next generation."