A call is being made for Weymouth Town Council to challenge the government's academies programme.

The academies programme means that schools are forced to become  academies if Ofsted rates than as inadequate.

A motion due to be put to last night’s full council meeting, said there is no evidence the academy programme has raised standards of education.

The motion

Points for Weymouth Town Council to discuss include:

• Parents, staff, local authorities and communities should always have a say over significant changes to their school.

• Decisions for a school ‘voluntarily’ converting to academy status should be voted on by the whole school community.

• Schools with an inadequate Ofsted rating should not be forced to become part of an unaccountable Multi Academy Trust (MAT). Instead local authorities should be funded to provide the support these schools need to address their problems and provide a high-quality education for all their pupils whilst remaining accountable to their local communities.

• Weymouth Town Council to call on Dorset Council to support the motion.

The motion recommends that councillors agree to:

• Publicly support a halt to forced academisation

• Lobby the government and Dorset Council to allow schools that have become academies to return to the local authority family of schools

• Call on Dorset schools considering a move to academy status to undertake a full consultation and ballot before any decision is taken

• Request that in circumstances where Dorset Council is not satisfied that the consultation or ballot was organised fairly and in line with the above principles, they will organise a ballot themselves

• To send this resolution to the Local Government Association and Dorset Council to urge them to campaign for the above principles.