UK Inquiry Tracker

Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 8 Dec 2021 Closed: 27 May 2022 Parliament page

Follow a series of work on schools funding and financial sustainability and on the end of the PFI contracts that were involved in the development of many Academies the Committee will question senior officials at the Department for Education and Education and Skills Funding Agency on financial transparency and accountability … Read more

10 Recommendations

23 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

1 Letter

1 Event

Activity timeline 5 events

27 May
2022

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Forty Seventh report from Session 2021-22

25 Mar
2022

Report published

Forty-Seventh Report - Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019/20

7 Feb
2022

Correspondence

Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Academies Sector Jan 2022 - Follow up response, da…

24 Jan
2022

Oral evidence

Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20

24 Jan
2022

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House

Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

24 Jan 2022

View on parliament.uk

Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20

John Edwards · Information Commissioner's Office Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education Warwick Sharp · Education and Skills Funding Agency

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Forty-Seventh Report - Academies Sector Annual Report and Accoun…	HC 994	25 Mar 2022	33	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 results

2 Recommendation Rejected

Forty-Seventh Report - Academies S…

The Department does not fully understand the causes of variability within the financial performance of...

The Department does not fully understand the causes of variability within the financial performance of academy schools, and consequently may not know how to best protect the education for pupils taught in financially struggling academies. There can be a disconnect … Read more

Government Response

The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation and says the national funding formula distributes funding fairly and it has an effective assurance programme for academy trusts.

HM Treasury

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3 Recommendation Rejected

Forty-Seventh Report - Academies S…

The Department still does not understand well enough the conditions of the school estate, meaning...

The Department still does not understand well enough the conditions of the school estate, meaning it does not know whether pupils have access to the learning facilities they need. Some academy trusts are building large reserves, and these may be … Read more The Department still does not understand well enough the conditions of the school estate, meaning it does not know whether pupils have access to the learning facilities they need. Some academy trusts are building large reserves, and these may be invested in capital projects. However, as we have previously reported, the Department does not have information on whether trusts have earmarked reserves for particular projects and therefore cannot effectively challenge academy trusts on the build-up or planned use of excessive reserves. The Department does not systematically collect comprehensive data on the capital investments held by academy trusts which are specifically aimed at improving children’s learning outcomes. It therefore does not routinely monitor how much schools have been able, or plan, to spend on capital projects of this nature, for example IT provision, science and technology labs, and arts facilities. The latest condition data collected by the Department estimates that £11.4 billion is required for essential remedial work across all schools. The Department has made available £5.6 billion of capital funding for the education sector in 2021/22, of which £1.8 billion is specifically for maintaining and improving the condition of school buildings. There is a risk that schools are not receiving sufficient capital funding to invest in facilities that enhance educational outcomes. Ofsted have reported instances where it has downgraded schools based on inadequate facilities. However, the Department may not know where to target funding to improve school facilities because it does have a sufficient understanding of where the gaps are. Recommendation: The Department should, within the next year, collect and publish data on pupils’ access to learning facilities, and the condition of such amenities, for example IT provision, science and technology labs, and arts facilities. and associated equipment. The Department should report how much capital investment is required Show less

Government Response

The government disagrees with the recommendation and will not collect and publish data on pupils' access to learning facilities. The department prioritizes ensuring sufficient school places and that the estate remains in a safe, operational condition.

HM Treasury

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Government Response AI assessment · 17 of 10 classified

Accepted 11

Acknowledged 1

Not Addressed 3

Rejected 2

Total 10 recs + 23 conclusions

Correspondence 1 letter

7 Feb 2022 Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re Academies Sector Jan 2022 - Follow up response, dated 1 February 2022

Parliament page