“Educational Excellence Everywhere”: Academies Debate

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Department: Department for Education

“Educational Excellence Everywhere”: Academies

John Pugh Excerpts
Monday 9th May 2016

(8 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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We remain committed to a national funding formula review. It cannot be right to have 152 different local formulae operating across the country. As I have talked about having a strong, consistent education system across the country, that must mean that we have a strong, consistent funding system too.

John Pugh Portrait John Pugh (Southport) (LD)
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Can the Minister specify why she objects to the line put across in The Times today by PricewaterhouseCoopers—presumably, a vested interest—who argue that academisation is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for school improvement, or is evidence utterly irrelevant?

Baroness Morgan of Cotes Portrait Nicky Morgan
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Plenty of evidence can be cited in favour. I point the hon. Gentleman to the PISA and the OECD evidence, which I have already talked about, which sets out clearly the benefits of autonomy in our school system.