Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 3 May (HL Deb, col 1308), how many allegations of fraud in respect of academies and free schools were made to the Education Funding Agency in each financial year from 2012–13 to date.
Answered by Lord Nash
EFA does not classify allegations into fraud or other forms of irregularity until they have been investigated. The number of fraud allegations cannot therefore be isolated from other allegations of irregularity. After investigation EFA concluded that only 10 of the allegations received in respect of academies and free schools since 2012-13 were probable fraud. This shows that there are low levels of fraud within the 5,685 academies in the sector. Where fraud or other irregularity is identified EFA takes swift action which may include conducting its own investigations.
Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 3 May (HL Deb, col 1308), what steps they plan to take to provide Parliament with a clear view of academy trusts' spending.
Answered by Lord Nash
From 2016-17 onwards, the department will produce a new report and accounts covering the performance of the academy sector during the previous academic year. This will provide Parliament with information on academy trusts’ spending, income and assets that is clearer, more transparent and more timely. This approach has been considered and endorsed by the Education Select Committee and the Liaison Committee of the House of Commons.
Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 28 July (HL Deb, cols 1416–19), what is the proportion of children receiving free school meals in (1) academies, (2) free schools, and (3) maintained schools.
Answered by Lord Nash
Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014’ Statistical First Release.[1] Table 3b contains the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals in state-funded schools by phase. Table 3c contains the proportion of pupils eligible and claiming free school meals in each type of academy and free school.
The relevant tables have been placed in the library of the House.
[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014
Asked by: Lord Grocott (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Nash on 28 July (HL Deb, cols 1416–19), what proportion of the salary costs in academies is spent on non-teaching staff.
Answered by Lord Nash
The proportion of the salary costs in academies spent on non-teaching staff is 27.6%.
The proportion of the salary costs in free schools spent on non-teaching staff is 28.8%.
These figures are based on the last published data for academies’ and free schools’ expenditure, which covers the 2011-2012 financial year.
For comparison, the proportion of the salary costs in maintained schools spent on non-teaching staff is 33.1%.