Bridgwater MP Sir Ashley Fox has criticised the Government's latest education reforms, warning that Labour is undermining one of the most successful improvements to England's school system.
Speaking in Parliament during a committee considering new education regulations, Ashley Fox argued that academy freedoms progress by the Conservatives have helped raise standards for millions of children by giving schools greater flexibility to innovate and improve.
While welcoming measures to make it easier to establish new pupil referral units for children who need additional support, Ashley Fox said the wider direction of Government policy represented an unnecessary attack on academies.
He pointed to evidence showing that pupils attending the first sponsored academies achieved outcomes equivalent to around one GCSE grade higher than pupils in the schools they replaced, arguing that academy trusts are strongly represented among the highest-performing school groups in the country.
Speaking after the debate Ashley Fox said:
"Academies have transformed education in England by giving schools the freedom to innovate and raise standards. Millions of children have benefited from those reforms.
“Labour’s assault on academies is short-sighted and wrong. It speaks to its need for ever more control. The Conservatives know that giving academies freedom to innovate helps more children to get a decent education.”
Ashley Fox said he would continue to support policies that give schools greater freedom to deliver the best possible education while ensuring that children with additional needs have access to high-quality specialist provision.
