Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Education, commenting on Sir Michael Wilshaw’s letter to the Secretary of State, following focused inspections in seven of the largest academy chains showing a lack of improvement and in some cases a decline in standards, said:  

“This is more proof that this Tory Government’s approach to our schools system is damaging the education of children. Ofsted has identified a number of very serious concerns within these academy chains. The lack of oversight, the lack of capacity within the governance structures and failure to deliver improvements are all issues we have been raising for months. As the government continues, without evidence, with its agenda to turn all schools into academies and no system of local oversight to spot and challenge underperformance early, these problems will only get worse, impacting on standards.

“Rather than rushing headlong into the fragmentation of the schools system, Ministers must press the pause button while they ensure the system is fit for purpose. They urgently need to develop a system of robust accountability for all schools, including academy chains, with powers locally to intervene in failing trusts, including the ability to remove schools from failing chains to weed out failure and drive success in all our schools.”