Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 147 of the white paper Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child, CP650, published on 28 March 2022, whether it remains her Department's policy for all state schools to be in or to be joining a strong academy trust by 2030.

The Department is focused on continuing to improve standards in schools, providing the best education for children, including for those from disadvantaged backgrounds and with special educational needs. The best way for this to happen is for all schools to be in strong families of schools, benefitting from the support of the best in the group, and the resilience that comes from being part of a larger group of schools. That is why, over time, the Department would like all schools to be in a strong multi-academy trust, because we see the positive impact it can have on children’s lives. If we get this right then we will see the vast majority of schools in trusts before 2030. The Department is exploring how to further support the growth of strong multi-academy trusts through the Regulation and Commissioning Review.