CONCERNS over academies have been brought to the foreground again after Stroud Town Council called on Stroud MP Neil Carmichael to give clear evidence on their effectiveness.

The Conservative MP, who is chair of the Education Select Committee, has written in defence of the policy, which would force all state sector schools in England to concert to academy status by 2022.

The government says the policy is allows for greater innovation and responsibility and will drive up standards.

But evidence for this is hotly contested by critics, who argue the legislation will mean less accountability.

The shakeup would see 32 primary and two secondary schools in Stroud taken out of county council control.

Now Stroud Town Council has penned a letter to Mr Carmichael inviting him to attend its next meeting to present evidence and respond to a number of concerns.

It says: “The council is concerned about the impact on schools in Stroud of the government proposal contained in this white paper to convert all schools to academies.

“It is felt that this process represents an erosion of local democratic control and would effectively lead to the privatisation of education.”

It raised issues around the future ownership of land and buildings currently in local authority control and a lack of local scrutiny.

The letter also questioned reductions in funding and the loss of input from parents as governors or volunteers.

Other concerns focus on potential exclusion of SEN or disabled children and the removal of access to specialist support services.

“The main concern is the lack of evidence in the White Paper, or elsewhere, for the effectiveness of academies in raising academic standards,” the letter said.

“It has been noted that local authority schools frequently outperform existing academies and that forced conversion has had a negative impact on some our local schools.”

“The next town council meeting will be held on Monday, May 16, and you are welcome to attend.”

The SNJ has approached Mr Carmichael for a comment.