THE county councillor in charge of education across Oxfordshire has said the authority needs more control to help turn around failing schools.

It comes after the Government unveiled plans to force all schools graded ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted to convert to academy status with an outside sponsor and move away from Oxfordshire County Council control.

Under a new Education and Adoption Bill announced yesterday 275 schools graded ‘inadequate’, which include Wood Green School in Witney, Carterton Primary School and Gateway Primary School in Carterton, will be in line for conversion.

But Oxfordshire County Council’s lead member for education Melinda Tilley said she is frustrated local authorities were being bypassed in favour of academies.

She said: “There is frustration when the local authority is not consulted when we have a lot of expertise and know what is happening in the schools.

“We need to be consulted when these changes are made.

“Too often these things are simply dictated from above.

“We are in a situation where we are held responsible for pupils’ attainment but have little control over many of the schools that are educating them.”

Ms Tilley said academies can work really well but said there are some in Oxfordshire the council is very worried about.

She said she has written at least three letters this year to the Secretary of State complaining about failing academies.

The heads of all three non-academy schools graded ‘inadequate’ were unavailable for comment, but Steve Kenning, chief executive of the Aspirations Academies Trust which has helped improve three schools in Banbury since taking them over, said he fears these schools will find it difficult to find good quality sponsors to manage them.

He said: “Some of the smaller schools are going to find it difficult to find a sponsor because who is going to take them on?”

But Mr Kenning said where schools can find good providers they will succeed.

Under the Aspirations Academies Trust, Dashwood Banbury Academy has gone from an Ofsted rating of requires improvement to good, as has Harriers Banbury Academy.

Mr Kenning said “We have a clear focus on high quality teaching and learning, have introduced new systems and measures of behaviour and have a high quality leadership team made up of proven classroom practitioners.”

Wood Green School in Witney has just abandoned its plans to become an academy because its sponsor has pulled out.

Windale Primary School and Orchard Meadow School in Blackbird Leys have also been rated inadequate by Ofsted despite already being academies under the Blackbird Academy Trust.

Both schools became part of the trust in 2013 but Orchard Meadow was rated ‘inadequate’ after an inspection in March this year and Windale was rated ‘inadequate’ at an inspection in January.

Ian Caw, chief executive of the Blackbird Academy Trust which also includes Pegasus School, was unavailable for comment.