Academies (Funding)

Part of Leader of the House – in the House of Commons at 12:14 pm on 16 June 2011.

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Photo of Nick Gibb Nick Gibb Minister of State (Education) 12:14, 16 June 2011

Yes, I do. When we were in opposition, we proposed extending academy status to primary schools. The schools Minister at the time thought it was an appalling idea. However, we have to do something about the 200 underperforming primary schools. Indeed, we have to do something about all the underperforming primary schools, because primary school is where children learn the basics of reading and arithmetic. If we do not get it right in those early years, the life chances of all those thousands of children attending those underperforming schools could be blighted. We intend to sort those schools out.