Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's estimated timescale is for seeking improvements at Denton Community College following Ofsted's inadequate finding of that college and the decision to make an academy order.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has a statutory duty to make an academy order in respect of any maintained school judged as Inadequate by Ofsted, to enable it to become an academy and receive additional support from a sponsor.

The academy order was issued to the governing body of Denton Community College and Tameside Local Authority on 22 March 2023. The Regional Director for the North West, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, will take responsibility for ensuring that Denton Community College becomes a sponsored academy as swiftly as possible, including identifying the most suitable academy trust and brokering the new relationship between that academy trust and the school.

In accordance with the academy order made under Section 4(A1) or (1)(b) of the Academies Act 2010, the governing body and the Local Authority will be under a duty to facilitate Denton Community College’s conversion into an academy by taking all reasonable steps towards that end. During the interim period before the school re-opens as an academy, the Local Authority retains the responsibility for the school’s performance, including provision for school improvement.

Once the Regional Director has identified the academy trust for Denton Community College, the academy trust has a duty to communicate information to parents regarding their plans for improving that school, before it is converted into an academy.

The Regional Director’s office has been asked to contact the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish to meet and discuss this matter.