David Cameron will mark the 100-day anniversary of the first majority
Conservative Government since 1997 with a vow all schools will be given
the chance to convert to academy status.

The Prime Minister outlined a promise to expand on a manifesto promise
to convert failing and coasting schools into academies in a Daily Telegraph article.

Mr Cameron said the government would recruit more academy sponsors and
back heads to allow thousands more schools to break free of
council control.

And he added that he would put education at the heart of his second term as the country’s leader by dramatically expanding the academies programme.

Aiming his comments at the Labour leadership contenders, Mr Cameron said he would hand academy powers to more headteachers not fewer.

“When Labour leadership contenders say they want to phase out academies, I say the opposite,” Mr Cameron writes. 

“I want every school in the country to have the opportunity to become an academy and to benefit from the freedoms this brings.

“So we will make it a priority to recruit more academy sponsors and support more great headteachers in coming together in academy chains. In doing so, we can extend educational excellence and opportunity to every school and every child in our country.”

The government has already set out plans to convert “failing” and “coasting” schools into academies, expanding the number by at least 1,000.

While there are no further plans to force schools to become academies, the prime minister said support will be on hand for any school wishing to convert.

Mr Cameron adds: “I profoundly believe this is the right direction for our country because I want teachers not bureaucrats deciding how best to educate our children.”