Councils will be given powers to set up their own multi-academy trusts, following many years of campaigning by the LGA.
The plans form part of the Government’s schools White Paper, ‘Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child’.
The White Paper outlines the Government’s ambition for a school system that helps every child in England to fulfil their potential.
It also looks to define the roles and responsibilities of all those involved in the school system, including councils, and sets out how ministers plan to ensure councils have the right powers to deliver in their role at the heart of the new system.
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, Deputy Chair of the LGA’s Children and Young People Board, said: “We are pleased government has acted on our call for councils to be allowed to set up their own multi-academy trusts (MATs).
“Councils have an excellent track record in providing a high-quality education for pupils, with 92 per cent of maintained schools rated by Ofsted as outstanding or good – a higher proportion than any other type of school.
“The Government should go further and allow councils to support ‘orphan’ schools where regional school commissioners are struggling to find a strong MAT to take them on.
“We now look forward to working with the Department for Education to make sure we provide an education system that is inclusive and works for all children, including those with special educational needs.”