THE Government’s bid to let more schools opt out of local authority control has been condemned as a “panicky measure’’ by Huddersfield MP Barry Sheerman.

Mr Sheerman, former chairman of the Children, Schools and Families Committee, said there was a ‘great danger’ in the Academies Bill as the measure could cause community rifts.

He added: “The danger is that every government needs to be able to deliver its policies and I’ve never known of a policy that can be delivered with a demoralised workforce.”

He told MPs that the Labour government had been able to get teachers on side by “paying them better than ever before” and “respecting them better.”

He added: “What I worry about is the speed of this legislation and the fact that it’s going to be constrained in the committee stage over three days – it makes it look a bit of a panicky measure.”

He said he was worried about free schools, but not due to the influence of the private sector which Labour had used “all the time” in a “healthy relationship”.

Instead, he raised concerns that free schools would break up the community.

“Those of us who looked at faith schools were very concerned at the way in which faith schools delivered too easily to too many people who just said, ‘I want a faith school because I happen to be this particular brand of religion’.

“That way, without great care, leads to a good deal of disunity and the break-up of social cohesion in our towns and cities. So I would hate free schools to lead to that breaking down of the community of schools.”

But Education Secretary Michael Gove said his controversial plan to expand the academy system would help the poorest children in society.

The Academies Bill, which is being rushed through the Commons, will allow more schools to opt out of local authority control and gain greater freedoms.

Mr Gove said he is building on the reforms introduced under former prime minister Tony Blair, but the move has been attacked by Labour who claim it will focus on schools which are already successful rather than helping failing schools to improve.

The Education Secretary told the Commons: “Today’s second reading of the Academies Bill marks the first legislative step in fulfilment of our manifesto commitment to improve England’s education system.

“It grants greater autonomy to individual schools, it gives more freedom to teachers and it injects a new level of dynamism into a programme that has been proven to raise standards for children, and the disadvantaged most of all.”

The bill will enable all schools, including primaries, to apply for academy freedoms, with schools rated “outstanding” pre-approved to make the change.