Allowing all West schools to become academies will harm standards as pupils in poor areas stand to lose out, Lord Knight warned yesterday.

The former Labour Schools Minister spoke out as another seven academies opened in the West for the autumn term.

Four of them are from a new wave of applications from schools rated as outstanding by inspectors, under a new flagship initiative by the coalition Government.

A further six outstanding West schools have been approved for academy status – including two primaries – and are expected to convert shortly, while three others that applied have not so far been given the go-ahead.

The other three new academies have been converted under the scheme set up by the previous Labour administration to improve struggling schools, joining a series of existing ones in Bristol and across the West.

West-based Education Minister Lord Hill said yesterday the coalition will soon unveil plans for thousands of other schools to make the switch as well.

Hardenhuish School in Chippenham this week became one of 32 new academies across the country.

It said they would be funded directly from the Government and be able to choose where it buys the services it needs, ensuring both value for money and quality.

A spokesman said: "We are looking forward to using our new freedom to innovate so that we provide the best educational experience possible for our community."

The Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water will become an academy next Monday.

Its website reveals the governors, after consulting staff and parents, decided to apply following "indications from the Department for Education of the likely financial benefits of academy status".

Lord Knight told the Western Daily Press the academies legislation was passed very quickly using Parliamentary procedures meant for emergency counter-terror laws.

"Education Secretary Michael Gove rushed the legislation through Parliament on the basis there was a clamour to set up these academies in September.

"But only 32 are signed up, and Gove conned Parliament – this is a big change to the schools system which has been rushed through, and this was not an emergency."

The former South Dorset MP was in charge of the academies programme when it was set up to tackle failing schools.

He is worried that, if every school becomes an academy, the outstanding head teachers who might have been attracted to under-performing schools in deprived areas will not move.

"If you can enjoy running a school with the freedoms, and with advantaged kids, your job is much easier, and those areas that really need the excellent heads may lose out.

"My fear is the excellence of the academy programme will be diluted by expanding too fast."

Mr Gove said: "This Government believes that teachers and head teachers, not politicians and bureaucrats, should control schools and have more power over how they are run.

"That's why we are spreading academy freedoms. This will give heads more power to tackle disruptive children, to protect and reward teachers better, and to give children the specialist teaching they need."

He said apart from 32 new academies this month, a further 110 had been approved and were on track to convert over the coming months.