Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Academies operate lawfully when safeguarding issues are raised.

All schools must follow ’Keeping Children safe in education’, and ’Working together to safeguard children’ statutory guidance. Academy trusts must also comply with the ’Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014’, which sets safeguarding standards, as a requirement of their funding agreement.

The department considers all safeguarding issues reported to it. Where the department has concerns about an academy trust not meeting its safeguarding responsibilities, it works closely with the trust to ensure those arrangements come into compliance with statutory requirements. This remit does not extend to investigating individual safeguarding matters or commenting on a trust’s handling of incidents.

Failure to comply with regulations may place a trust in breach of its funding agreement with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, which can lead to intervention action as set out in the Academy Trust Handbook.

The department works with other statutory bodies, such as the local authority or Ofsted, as appropriate. Trusts are held to account for standards in their academies through Ofsted inspections. Local authorities have an overarching responsibility for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in their area, regardless of the types of educational settings they attend.