London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Catholic church in legal battle over bid to force schools to become academies

Catholic church in legal battle over bid to force schools to become academies

Unions write to education secretary calling on him to withdraw orders issued to group of Catholic schools
The Catholic church is at the centre of a legal battle over attempts to force Catholic schools to become academies run by its own multi-academy trusts, against the wishes of school governors and headteachers.

A consortium of school staff unions, including the National Association of Head Teachers and the Association of School and College Leaders, has written to Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, calling on him to withdraw academy orders issued to a group of Catholic schools by the Department for Education (DfE) or face legal action.

The threat came after the church’s Hallam diocese asked the DfE to order academy conversions for 19 Catholic faith schools in the diocese, which covers South Yorkshire and parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, including voluntary-aided schools.

If successful the order would make all the schools into academies and place them in one of two new multi-academy trusts to be administered by the diocese, along with academies already members of other trusts.

But the unions, including support staff who are members of Unison, say schools leaders and governors do not want to change their status and that they are prepared to seek a judicial review in the high court if Zahawi does not withdraw the orders.

Schools can only be forced to become academies is if they are eligible for intervention, usually if they are rated as inadequate by Ofsted inspectors. None of the schools targeted by the diocese are in that category. Otherwise, the DfE can only make an academy order if it is requested by a school’s governing body.

“We understand that the governing bodies of these schools have not applied to the secretary of state for academy orders. The academy orders appear to have been made on the application of and/or at the behest of the diocese,” the letter from the unions states.

“The secretary of state is invited to confirm in writing that the academy orders are void and of no effect.”

Geoff Barton, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are deeply concerned by what appears to be an abuse of the process of schools becoming academies. It is perfectly clear that the decision must come from governing bodies and yet this appears to have been flagrantly ignored. Nadhim Zahawi must intervene and put a stop to this sorry episode.”

Other dioceses in England have been pushing schools to convert and join approved trusts, including the Birmingham diocese, which contains 240 schools, of which 90 retain voluntary-aided status.

The Hallam diocese has been contacted for comment.

The DfE said it would respond to the letter “in due course”. “We are working with the diocese of Hallam as they establish an academy trust in consultation with their schools, and in accordance with all legal requirements and our memorandum of understanding with the Catholic church,” a spokesperson said.

In a letter sent to school leaders last year, the bishop of Hallam, Ralph Heskett, said he had “determined” that Catholic schools in the region would be best supported by becoming academies and joining specified trusts.

“A Catholic multi-academy trust model throughout the diocese will mean that no individual school will be left isolated or vulnerable in this rapidly changing educational environment,” Heskett said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×