TEACHERS need to take back their schools and return them to local authorities, National Education Union (NEU) delegates demanded today as they condemned the Tory government’s obsession with academisation.

Members at the union’s 2023 conference in Harrogate overwhelmingly backed an amended motion that demanded an education system based on democratic principles.

The call came after the National Foundation for Educational Research warned earlier this year that ministers will miss their target to force all primaries and secondaries into multi-academy trusts by 2030 as the policy will cause unprecedented upheaval.