Michael Gove unveils plan to convert weakest primary schools into academies [guardian.co.uk]
- Published: 16 June 2011
The 200 weakest primary schools in England will be turned into academies and placed under new management next year, the education secretary, Michael Gove, has said.
It is the most direct intervention in primary schools by a government that has so far been mainly focused on intervening in secondary schools.
The primaries that will be turned into academies are those that have fallen below the government's minimum standards for five years. The standards require at least 60% of pupils to achieve a basic level – level four – in English and maths by the age of 11, and also require them to have made at least average progress between the ages of seven and 11.
Around 500 primaries have fallen below the minimum standards for three or four years, and local authorities have been asked to draw up plans to show how they intend to improve them.
Full Story: www.guardian.co.uk
