Job cuts imminent in borough where 4 in 5 schools will soon be outside council control

Bury council is facing job cuts in its education department as more schools convert to academies, with projections suggesting that only 17 out of 84 schools will remain under local authority control by the end of 2026. Currently, there are 32 maintained schools and 52 academies in the borough, with more conversions on the horizon. This shift has prompted the council to reduce the size of its school finance team, as there’s less work and income due to the academy changes. The plan involves retaining just one finance officer to assist the schools that haven’t yet converted while phasing out several other roles through voluntary early retirements. The council notes that although Bury schools were initially slow to convert, the pace has significantly picked up in the last 18 months, and almost 80% of schools could be academies by 2026. For context, 46% of schools in England were academies or free schools as of the 2024/25 academic year.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News