School standards minister Nick Gibb was heckled by MPs as he denied that the Department for Education was “struggling” to secure sponsors for academies.

Evidence appears to contradict the minister’s words, with large numbers of under-performing schools being left to languish - or even being forced to close - after sponsors could not be found.

Tes revealed last year that dozens of “inadequate” schools had been left without a match 12 months after being ordered to convert into an academy.

Academy system under attack

This was despite the 2016 Education and Adoption Act stating that all maintained schools that Ofsted judges “inadequate” must become a sponsored academy.

And no schools had been turned into academies as a result of falling into the new category of “coasting schools”, which was introduced by the same law, despite a 2015 Tory manifesto pledge that all coasting secondary schools would be converted.

Watch Mr Gibb responding to a question from Labour MP Heidi Alexander during yesterday’s Education Questions:

Mr Gibb’s comments were widely criticised on Twitter:

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