Labour to allow councils to take over failing academies

Speaking at the party's annual conference in Liverpool, shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said if it gains power it will tackle the problem of failing academy trusts, a situation she said results in schools being "stranded outside the system".

Currently, local authorities have no say in the management of academies or free schools.

"Imagine being in an organisation facing a crisis but with no leadership or direction," Rayner said.

"Yet that's what they've inflicted on an ever-increasing number of schools. So we'll allow academies to return to local authority control."

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She added that Labour would seek to address the situation whereby councils are responsible for school places but do not have the power to create them.

"The Tories talk about devolution," she said.

"But they want to hand down the blame, not the budget. So we will allow them to build schools, create new places and take back control of admissions from academy trusts."



Rayner also said that shadow children's minister Emma Lewell-Buck will lead plans to stop those with special educational needs and disabilities from falling out of the school system, backed it up with investment to modernise school buildings to make sure they are accessible to all children. And she promised action to widen access to free childcare.

"Nowhere is this Conservative government's failure starker than in the early years, which make the greatest impact on a child's life," she said.

"They promised 30 hours' high-quality free childcare a week. But one in seven families now pay more, and nearly one in 10 providers risk going bust.

"Even worse, the very families who need help the most, are least likely to get it."

Rayner said Labour would create a new public service, offering free early education for all two- to four-year-olds, while "reinventing" state nurseries.

Jonathan Broadbery, head of policy and external relations at National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), said the vast majority of childcare places are provided by high-quality private, voluntary and independent nurseries with more than 16,000 of these in England alone.

"In the past we have seen the negative impact and waste caused by duplicating or reinventing provision which is already established and successful," he said.

"NDNA strongly believes that money should be invested in developing a sustainable rate for funded childcare places which enables all providers to meet the costs of delivering this policy."