A petition has begun to stop the process of academisation at two Greenwich primaries, after the Conservative government announced a u-turn on its policy to convert all schools by 2020.

The online action calls on the leadership at Deansfield and Halstow primary schools to halt the academy application process and hold an open meeting with governors to review the decision.

It reads: “We were told that conversion would take many months and that we would be kept informed.

“We now know that the application has been approved by the DfE [Department for Education] already and we are a small step away from the irreversible signing of the funding agreement.”

The John Roan formed a working group to investigate the possibility of converting to an academy, after councillor Miranda Williams, member for children’s services, sent a letter to governors setting out the council’s position.

Some people in Greenwich openly criticised the letter which they believed “encouraged” schools to become academies.

At the John Roan in Maze Hill parents and teachers successfully fought off the possibility of academisation for at least six months.

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Juliana Johnston, a parent to two John Roan pupils, said Labour led Greenwich Council were “too quick” to accept the Conservative proposal.

The 49-year-old told News Shopper: “It was almost like jump before you are pushed.

“I think there probably are councillors that are not so keen on it [academisation] but there was too much of a push.”

Ms Johnston said she believes John Roan could have been in the process of academisation, had the staff and parents not put up such resistance.

She added: “I’m glad it hasn’t happened but we’re still not out of the water yet.

“There’s so many negative things coming out about academies, there’s no good reasons to do it.”

In February, Ms Johnston called on Greenwich Council to resist the conversion of schools to academy status and support those who opposed the proposed Tory policy.

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Islington Council, a prominent Labour authority in London, launched a campaign against the Tory’s proposal on academies, which they described as “an attack” on the borough’s schools.

Cllr Williams, told News Shopper: "The drive to convert more schools into academies comes from the Government - not the Council.

“The Royal Borough of Greenwich has steadfastly been against the policy of forced academisation. In our view, the Government may have changed the message but the tone has not changed - there is still a determination to convert community schools to academies.

“Thanks to our focus on school improvement no school in the borough has been forced into academy status. “In our discussions with schools we have made clear that under the law, the decision whether or not to convert to academy status is for school governing bodies to take.

“We have always supported schools that wish to remain community schools and will continue to make available all the resources and support we can to enable them to do so.

“Our children and the standards they achieve are our priority at all times, and for this reason we continue to support all our schools, whatever their structure.”