PLANS to force all schools in the county to become academies have been criticised.

The Government announced proposals on Friday to turn all schools into academies by 2022.

In response, Essex County Council has written to Nicky Morgan, Government education secretary, opposing the plans and believing it to be better for schools to be in control of whether they are converted.

County Hall says that 66 per cent of the county’s 549 schools have yet to become academies and have questioned how the cost of conversion would be funded.

The authority is not responsible for schools in Thurrock or Southend, who are controlled by their respective councils.

Ray Gooding, county councillor for education and lifelong learning, insists the authority remains supportive of academies, but believes Essex should retain a mix of both academies and schools.

Mr Gooding believes the plans give take away “the freedom of choice” for schools, communities and parents, and doubts about how standards in schools will be scrutinised.

He said: “A lot of the proposals outlined in the white paper make good sense, but it is crucial the Government listens to feedback from schools and local authorities before railroading through with this.

“We would much rather schools and communities could choose for themselves whether they go down the academy route, and I urge the Government to think again.

“Academies can be a good option in driving up standards in schools, but they are not a magic solution and the assumption that academies will automatically perform better is certainly questionable.

“While we do not run schools, we do play a vital role in proactively working with them to drive improvement. I am not convinced that unelected regional school commissioners have the capacity or local knowledge to do this.”

He continued: “Whatever the Government’s decision, we will remain committed to our role in holding people to account to help ensure all pupils in Essex receive the best possible education.”

Academies differ from schools in that they receive their funding directly from central government rather than through local councils, and are also in control of their own admissions process.

A headteacher or principal is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school, the long-term management of the academy comes from trusts or an academy chain, which can manage a cluster of schools.

Essex County Council says that more than four in five of the county’s schools are currently rated as good or outstanding by Ofsted – the education regulator.

The authority is a member of the County Councils Network, which had previously raised concerns about forced academisation, arguing it reduces the role of councils in supporting high needs pupils and smaller rural schools.