The Conservatives' proposals would see any school in special measures for a year or more by the end of the following school year being taken over by a successful academy provider and reopened as a new school with new leadership.

Coun Robert Oliver, Sunderland's Conservative spokesman for children's services, said: "I welcome new opportunities for schools in Sunderland in the form of greater freedoms for academy schools and greater involvement for new sponsors.

"Under the Conservative proposals, all schools will be able to apply for academy status, which will level out the current unfairness in only providing academy funding for schools selected centrally."

He also welcomed his party's plans to cut down on the number of Ofsted inspections.

"We need to focus inspections on schools that really need improvement and let schools that are doing well get on with the job," he said.