Trusts launched to improve failing schools say they are now turning the tide on attracting ‘good’ ones – after the academies minister voiced concerns that conversions can be viewed as “a punishment”.
Baroness Barran said ‘converter’ schools – those rated ‘good’ or above who choose to academise – are moving “from one relatively warm and cosy place to another”, instead of into chains with “unbelievably challenging schools”.
Schools Week looked at ten trusts with a reputation for turning around schools. We found that less than one in five of their academies were converters.
Speaking at the Confederation of School Trusts’ finance and operation conference on Tuesday, Barran argued that converters have a role in “building capacity” in trusts taking on “unbelievably challenging schools”.
