Ed Miliband's Former School Drops Academy Plan

Miliband's School Rejects Academy Plans
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Ed Miliband's former school has abandoned plans to become an academy.

The Labour leader and his brother, former foreign secretary David Miliband, both attended Haverstock School, a comprehensive in north London.

The school recently started a consultation to become an academy, which would take it out of local authority control but it is understood those plans have now been abandoned.

Alasdair Smith, national secretary of the Anti Academies Alliance, said: "The rejection of academy status at Haverstock School is an important victory.

"Haverstock School is a model comprehensive school with a fantastic record of meeting the needs and raising the attainment of a diverse local community."

Academies are semi-independent state schools that receive their funding directly and have more freedom over areas such as the curriculum and staff pay and conditions.

The academies programme was originally established under Tony Blair's Labour Government to boost standards in poorer areas.

But last year under the coalition Government, Education Secretary Michael Gove opened up the scheme to allow all schools to apply for academy freedoms.