Academies push

Michael Gove is today announcing a massive extension of the academies programme, in a bid to lend the ailing project some impetus.

The plans mean every school in England will be able to take up academy status if in conjunction with a school rated 'outstanding' the watchdog Ofsted.

The education secretary will hope this will lead to a boost in the number of applications, with only 224 received so far.

Teachers' union are extremely critical of the proposals - a mixture of dire warnings that they will leave failing schools in impoverished areas behind, and scorn for the apparently slow take-up by schools so far.