THE three main teaching unions in Wiltshire have united to raise concerns about the creation of a new generation of academies.

They say many of the 26 schools in the county that are rated outstanding by Ofsted have registered interest in the scheme.

But the unions believe the change is being rushed through with no proof that children will benefit and without proper consultation.

The government has said that outstanding schools will get automatic academy status if they want it, and that this could happen by September. It will make them “state funded independent schools”, free from council control.

In a joint letter to the Journal the county secretaries of the NUT, NASUWT and ATL – Mike Harrison, Ian Phillips and Philip Whalley – voiced “considerable reservations about the benefits of this change because there is no evidence that it improves children’s education”.

They said: “In Wiltshire we are concerned that the creation of academies will lead to a reduction in the healthy support and collaboration that exists between schools, because much of this is encouraged and organised through Wiltshire Council.

“We are also worried by the unseemly haste of the process, which may result in decisions being made without a proper appreciation of their impact on local communities.

“Most importantly, we are concerned that these changes may take place without proper consultation with parents or local communities.”

The union leaders declared: “Our schools are not assets owned by the head or governors of a school. They are public institutions that belong to all of us, and especially the local communities which they serve.

“It is only right that parents and communities should be properly consulted before a school makes the very important decision of whether to apply for academy status. We would hope that any sensible head or governors of a good school would naturally want to involve parents and the local community.”

But they warned parents: “As the government has said there is no requirement for schools to consult with anyone, we suggest you don’t take this for granted. If you believe that your school is considering becoming an academy insist that it has a period of consultation, holds public meetings and hears your views.”

Mr Whalley added: “I just wonder whether this initiative is an overreaction to the obsessive tinkering and top-down interference of the last government. “Might we not be better off, rather than having a structural change, to have cultural change in which there is greater trust by politicians in the professionals but individual schools still stay within the local authority family of schools? It could be the best of both worlds.”