MORE than 100 primary schools and 11 secondary schools in Oxfordshire could be told they are “coasting” and made academies under tougher new Government rules.

Education Secretary Nicky Morgan yesterday announced plans to crack down on “complacency” by imposing new targets for pupil grades.

Schools would be forced to convert to academies – schools run by trusts, funded directly by the Government and outside the control of local authorities – if they fell short.

In Oxfordshire, there are 63 faith primary schools and 53 state primaries that did not meet the proposed new grade targets in 2014, as well as 11 secondary schools.

The county council revealed this week it has reached out to several schools it judges could be at risk.

Niall McWilliams, headteacher at The Oxford Academy in Littlemore, said: “The policy is ill-conceived, lacks thought and clarity. “As with so many other Government directives, it has the potential to further alienate the teaching profession.

“From my perspective this policy will make it even more difficult to attract staff and senior leaders into schools which are in challenging circumstances.”

Jon Gray, headteacher of Cutteslowe Primary School in North Oxford, warned that converting schools into academies was not a “silver bullet” that could raise grades.

Mr Gray’s school was in special measures but has since been awarded a “good” rating from watchdog Ofsted, after joining the Cherwell Academy Trust in 2013.

He said: “I don’t disagree with high expectations, but this is a huge change. Academies are also not a silver bullet.

“In our case, with Cherwell, it has worked because it is a local solution, but there would be the added problem of finding sponsors for every school not meeting the targets.”

Oxfordshire NUT spokesman Gawain Little said: “Frankly the definition is bizarre and the impact it will have on schools will be massive.”

The Education Secretary’s proposals mean secondary schools would be forced to convert if less than 60 per cent of pupils achieved five A* to C grades over a period of three years.

And primary schools with less than 85 per cent of pupils achieving a level 4 grade – considered the average for 11-year-olds – in their SAT exams for reading, writing and maths for two years in a row could be made to convert.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “Threatening to turn schools which don’t hit the target into academies doesn’t necessarily solve the problem.”