The Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced that sixth forms will be allowed to become academies, a move which will mean they are no longer required to pay VAT.
George Osborne confirmed the proposals in yesterday’s Autumn Statement and said it was the latest step towards giving institutions more autonomy and ending local authority control altogether.
Around 100 colleges nationwide are expected to benefit from becoming eligible for academy status.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association – which had campaigned for the change alongside a number of MPs – said the announcement was “fantastic news.”
The organisation now awaits further details from the Department for Education.
Mr Osborne also unveiled plans for a new funding formula for schools, which will be implemented by 2017.
The changes had been trailed by a number of national newspapers, but official confirmation was nonetheless warmly welcomed by campaigners.
Mr Osborne described current arrangements as “arbitrary and unfair” and said that it was time to introduce a better way of doing things. His cabinet colleague, Nicky Morgan, will lead a consultation on how the new system should work in practice.
The news comes following representations from various parts of the country that the current system is inherently unfair, with significant regional differences in the amount of funding per pupil.
Graham Stuart MP is a former chair of Parliament’s education select committee and has been among the most vocal supporters of change.
“In principle this represents a huge step forward,” he told the BBC.
