Forcing all schools to become academies would leave children vulnerable, waste millions of pounds and turn them into “exam factories”, campaigners claim.

Mother-of-two Victoria Baskerville is leading a campaign to stop forced academisation of schools in Redbridge, after the Government proposed to make all of them academies by 2022.

After successfully stopping Snaresbrook Primary School becoming an academy in 2013, in recent weeks Ms Baskerville has rallied parents, teachers, head teachers and union representatives to form the Redbridge Against Academisation (RAA) group.

She said: “We are extremely worried and angry about the way the Government is forcing this on us and our children.

“There is absolutely no evidence to show that academisation is better for our children’s educational development.

“Schools will be run by business people, not teachers or local authorities.

“And I am very very worried that I have six-year-old who by the time these plans are implemented could be going to a school run by an oppressive dictatorship from way above and not the people who know best.”

The Secretary of State for Education’s proposals would see local authorities lose control of all state-run schools and mean they would not have to follow the national curriculum or employ properly-qualified teachers.

A recent U-turn by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has suggested councils may be able to run their own academy chains and demand some level of support for children with special needs, but RAA is still worried.

Retired teacher and NUT representative Bob Archer said: “The reorganisation of schools into academies is going to cost £1 billion alone.

“There are far more important priorities to focus on – we are suffering from a lack of school places, teacher shortages, and our exam system is in chaos.

“We need to create more school places, recruit teachers and sort out our curriculum, not waste time and money on this.”

RAA has organised a public meeting at Redbridge Primary School later this month, where it has invited cabinet member for children and young people Cllr Elaine Norman, the NAHT’s Rob Kelsall, and NUT junior vice president Kiri Tunks to talk about the risks of forced academisation.

Chair Ms Baskerville added: “There just isn’t enough protection for our children.

“Children with special educational needs (SEN) will be left very vulnerable, which is extremely worrying.

“We’ve heard horror stories about SEN children being excluded from activities or even sent out of classrooms because teachers don’t know how to deal with them.

“Without any kind of accountability or obligation to SEN pupils when schools become academies, this problem can only get worse.”

Snaresbrook mum Alison Willcocks from South Woodford said: “This is an undemocratic handover of power.

“We are giving control of our children’s schools to people with private interests for no real educational gain.”

Mother-of-two Antje Kunert from Wanstead added: “It doesn’t make any sense.

“We have some very good schools in this borough that regularly outperform national averages, so why do they need to become academies?

“We didn’t see the point in 2013 and we don’t see the point now.”

Cllr Bob Littlewood says he will second Cllr Norman’s motion to oppose the Government’s forced academisation plan later this month.

He said: “As a retired NUT member I am particularly worried that academies don’t appear to be accountable to anybody, which is of huge concern to parents and teachers.”

RAA’s public meeting will take place at 7.30pm on May 16 at Redbridge Primary School.

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.