THE Government has dropped plans to force all schools in England to become academies, with the policy now "an aspiration", the Department of Education has said.

The U-turn by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan comes after a backlash to the proposal to take schools out of local authority control by 2022.

Ministers still hope that a large number of schools will choose to convert to academies, but the plan is now an "aspiration" rather than a compulsory policy, the Department for Education said.

The Government announced plans in its Budget to force around 17,000 mainstream schools in England to be taken out of the control of local education authorities.

Chancellor George Osborne said that all schools will either have to convert by 2020 or be committed to doing so by 2022.

Two-thirds of secondary schools have already converted but 15,000 schools do not currently have academy status.

But the plans have come under intense criticism, including from Tory council chiefs, and ministers faced a potential revolt from backbench MPs.

With the Government's slender majority in the Commons, there was a chance Mrs Morgan could have faced a humiliating defeat if she pushed ahead with the plans.

The Department for Education (DfE) said ministers had listened to feedback from MPs, teachers, school leaders and parents since publishing the proposals in a White Paper.

Officials stressed the Government was still committed to seeing all schools becoming academies, but new laws forcing the "blanket conversion" of all schools will no longer be necessary.

Mrs Morgan said: "Making every school an academy is the best way to ensure every child, regardless of birth or background, has access to a world-class education.

"I am today reaffirming our determination to see all schools become academies. However, having listened to the feedback from Parliamentary colleagues and the education sector we will now change the path to reaching that goal.

"By focusing our efforts on those schools most at risk of failing young people, and encouraging 'good' and 'outstanding' schools to seize the opportunities of conversion, we will ensure the continued growth of the academy programme, empowering frontline heads and school leads, and transforming even more children's education."

Jed Gargan, head of Aycliffe Village Primary School, near Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, stepped down last month in protest at the Government's edication policies.

He said: “I see it as a very positive step and clearly the announcement was an unnecessary one because there’s no evidence that academies out-perform good state schools so I see it as a very positive step.

“Now we need to keep working to ask the Government to backtrack on the unrealistic SATs this year.”

Cllr Craig Hannaway, cabinet member for children at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council, called for a governmental rethink during an impassioned speech on Thursday.

Responding to the move, he said: “A week is a long time in politics, particularly as we opposed academisation at full council yesterday. We are pleased with the news that the Government has backed down over plans to turn all schools in England into academies.

"This will bring a sigh of relief to many teachers, parents and all those who value their community schools.”