Schools Snub Labour's Academy Ban

10.55.08am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 23rd Jul 2010

No sooner had Labour's new Education supremo Cllr Pete Robbins issued a blood-curdling threat to Lambeth Schools not to apply for the Government's recently announced Academy Plans than an orderly queue quickly developed of those wishing to opt out of local authority control.

All of which must be a bit embarrassing for Labour for whom centralised control over all matters is the principal life-force that drives them.

In truth, though, Academies were originally dreamt up by Labour PM Tony Blair and taken forward with alacrity and fervour by Ed Balls and Lord Adonis, precisely to free-up the stultifying atmosphere that surrounded much of the state-education system.

Lambeth has undoubtedly benefited from some fine new school buildings and steadily improving exam results over the last decade but funding hitherto has only been available through highly bureaucratic centralised Government processes that have weighed the whole thing down, caused massive delays and run-up huge overspends.

That's why so many Lambeth school rebuilding projects are currently caught up in the new Government's spending review.

Labour has now found itself in a bit of a political muddle of its own making. It condemns the current Government's Academy Plans but had been actively promoting its own. Pots and Kettles come to mind.

In a desperate attempt to find a fig-leaf big enough to hide their embarrassment Labour has quickly come up with the idea that their Academies were created solely to boost the life-chances of children in deprived areas - which will come as a bit of shock to many Clapham and West Dulwich residents.

We suspect that educationalists and parents will be largely unimpressed by Lambeth Labour 's awkward political posturing and will be solely interested in whether children's futures will be enhanced by the proposed measures.

Judging by the number of Lambeth schools that have already broken ranks from Labour's regime of strict discipline and lined-up to find out more about the plans suggests that they have largely voted with their feet.