Twenty years ago Hackney had the lowest attainment in the country. Now, we are among the top ten percent of all education authorities. At one stage more than half of all primary pupils sought their secondary education outside the borough; now families actively seek to move here for our schools. This transformation is one of the greatest success stories of public policy in the country, and has been achieved through collaboration between the Council and every education setting in the borough. I want to thank our wonderful schools staff - past and present - for everything they’ve done to make this happen.  

Today that alliance continues, with the Council playing important roles, including in: admissions and exclusions; services for special educational needs; careers services; and by operating a strong improvement service. This work is anchored in and shaped by the aspirations of our families and young people. We hold a deep connection with the diverse Hackney communities we serve: we are held to account by them and reflect their needs and asks, which feeds into how we lead and influence the local education system.

That’s why we stand firmly against the Government’s ongoing pursuit of a forced academisation agenda for schools, in which schools are made to become academies overseen by independent sponsors or trusts and accountable only to the government. We know from our own engagement that residents are against this too.

We believe that a strong network of schools acting together – and bound by a central education service like Hackney’s – works best for all children, including our most vulnerable. We are able to work in partnership, in areas like wellbeing and health of local children, and provide overarching support in a way settings and schools are not empowered or mandated to do in isolation. As the Council, we hold the boroughwide perspective enabling us to work with schools on important themes, for example, improving exclusion rates.

If councils are sidelined, then safeguarding practices can be weakened with less oversight of children both in school and out of school; vulnerable children can be left longer without an education; care leavers have a less integrated approach to their future; and early years provision can be more fragmented.