Tony Blair paved the way yesterday for privately sponsored academies and trust schools to create links with state primaries like those between preparatory and secondary schools in the independent sector.

At least 14 new academies are to cater for children from the ages of three to 18. A number of the 69 trust schools that plan to open in September, are expected to follow suit.

Lord Adonis, the Schools Minister, said that the “all-through” approach to education had proved extremely successful in the private sector, where secondary schools have their own junior “prep” schools.

“This is a highly innovative part of the academies programme. A number of sponsors have said to us that they want their academies to have a primary dimension too, so that they can produce more radical change by educating children from the age of three. We are strongly encouraging it where sponsors and local authorities wish to pursue it,” he said. He expected other academies to follow the path, until the country had a “very significant number” of all-through schools.

The Samworth Academy in Leicester will take secondary age as well as younger pupils from September. The proposed new Swindon Academy is also considering a joint venture with a number of local primaries.

Lord Adonis said the same principle could apply to trust schools, particularly in local authority areas that had primary, middle and secondary schools.

The academies programme was created early in Mr Blair’s premiership to revive failing inner-city schools or to create new schools, where provision was poor. Academies remain in the state sector, but are independent of local councils and accept sponsorship from private firms or charities.

Trust schools, introduced in the 2006 Education Act, are also self-governing and accept sponsorship but have less flexibility than academies.

At a recent Downing St meeting of academy sponsors, the most important issue for sponsors was the wish to create more “all-through schools”.

By including primary age children in academies, sponsors believe they can speed up the transformation of disadvantaged areas and have a bigger impact on the community.

Critics say that “all-through” academies could create giant schools that some children, particularly little ones, found overwhelming, and that the approach could in effect lead to selection at age three.

David Willetts, the Shadow Education Secretary, said that while he had no objection in principle to “all-through” schools, caution was needed. “Will parents want very big schools where a child of four is in the same school as a lad of 18? It’s also very important that there are a range of paths that children can follow to get into secondary school. There’s a danger that your child’s chance of getting into the secondary part of the academy is determined at age three,” Mr Willetts said.

The push for more “all-through” schools was yesterday announced with the publication by the Government of a prospectus intended to build support for the academies programme; 46 have opened in seven years but Mr Blair wants to open at least 400 to seal his political legacy.

It was also announced that 69 state schools were on track to become trust schools by the autumn, a further 140 schools having applied for trust status.

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