UK Inquiry Tracker

Academies Accounts and Performance inquiry

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 19 Sep 2018 Closed: 19 Sep 2018 Parliament page

Scope of the inquiry Academies are publicly funded independent state schools. The academy sector in England is responsible for the education of over two million pupils across nearly 6,000 academies. Academy trusts have some responsibilities other schools do not have, including responsibility for financial performance. It is important that academy … Read more Scope of the inquiry Academies are publicly funded independent state schools. The academy sector in England is responsible for the education of over two million pupils across nearly 6,000 academies. Academy trusts have some responsibilities other schools do not have, including responsibility for financial performance. It is important that academy trusts have the capability to run academy schools well and that they can be trusted to manage large amounts of public money. Each academy school must be part of an academy trust; most are part of multi-academy trusts that bring together groups of schools. Academy trusts are directly funded by, and accountable to the Department for Education (DfE) via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). In 2016-17, DfE provided revenue funding of £17.0 billion to academies. As of January 2018, 7,472 of the 21,538 state-funded schools in England (35%) were academies. Of these, 6,996 had converted from maintained schools and 476 were free schools. In March 2018, the Committee published a report which concluded that academy trusts often fall short on standards of governance, accountability and financial management. The report welcomed the publication of the first Academies Sector Annual Report and Accounts (SARA) as a positive step forward in improving transparency and accountability in the sector. In November 2018, DfE published the second SARA, covering the academic year from 1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017. This inquiry will provide an opportunity to challenge officials about the SARA, and ask for updates about previous academy-related hearings. The Committee will question the DfE and ESFA about the quality, usefulness and timeliness of the SARA. It will also ask about progress on improving governance and financial management in the academies sector. Members may also want to ask about other issues related to academies such as asbestos and the condition of the school estate. In addition, Members will have a chance to ask teachers and parents of children in academies about their experiences. Show less

1 Report

2 Oral sessions

4 Letters

2 Events

Activity timeline 9 events

13 Sep
2019

Correspondence

Letter from Jonathan Slater to Chair, regarding Treasury minute response to Committee report Academy accounts and performance - dated 22 Ju…

1 Jul
2019

Correspondence

Letter from Chair to Jonathan Slater in relation to treasury minute response on Academy accounts and performance - dated 27 June 2019

25 Apr
2019

Correspondence

Letter from Jonathan Slater to Chair in response to the Committee's seventy-third report - dated 29 March 2019

23 Jan
2019

Report published

73rd Report - Academy Accounts and Performance

18 Jan
2019

Correspondence

Letter from Permanent Secretary to PAC regarding Asbestos Management Assurance Process - dated 24.09.2018

21 Nov
2018

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

21 Nov
2018

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

19 Nov
2018

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

19 Nov
2018

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Committee event

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

21 Nov 2018

View on parliament.uk

19 Nov 2018

View on parliament.uk

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
73rd Report - Academy Accounts and Performance	HC 1597	23 Jan 2019	0	Responded

Correspondence 4 letters

13 Sep 2019 To committee Letter from Jonathan Slater to Chair, regarding Treasury minute response to Committee report Academy accounts and performance - dated 22 July 2019

Parliament page

1 Jul 2019 To committee Letter from Chair to Jonathan Slater in relation to treasury minute response on Academy accounts and performance - dated 27 June 2019

Parliament page

25 Apr 2019 To committee Letter from Jonathan Slater to Chair in response to the Committee's seventy-third report - dated 29 March 2019

Parliament page

18 Jan 2019 To committee Letter from Permanent Secretary to PAC regarding Asbestos Management Assurance Process - dated 24.09.2018

Parliament page