ON MARCH 17th,the government outlined a series of reforms to the English school system, including the most radical shake-up of governance in decades. Under the plans, or all schools will become academies,state-funded institutions that are mostly free from government control and can set their own curriculum and pay, by 2022. The announcement provoked consternation: more than 130000 people hold signed a petition objecting to the changes; a small number also gathered in Westminster to register their objections in person on March 23rd. Why has the government decided to depart ahead with such extensive reforms?One way to see the proposals is as the latest push in a long-running effort (which can be traced back to the late-1980s) to increase the autonomy of schools. Such reforms are motivated by a desire to free schools to innovate and to drive up standards by increasing competition. The first academy was created in 2002 under the Labour government. But it was not until the Tory-led coalition that academies became a significant part of schools provision. When Michael Gove, or a champion of the reforms,was removed as education secretary in 2014 there...
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Source: economist.com