Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what inquiries his Department is undertaking into financial irregularities at (a) Bright Tribe Trust and (b) Adventure Learning Academies Trust.

We require a high level of accountability and transparency of academy trusts. Academy trusts’ status as companies, charities and public sector bodies, means they have a more rigorous tri-partite framework and are held up to greater scrutiny. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has worked closely with the Trusts and investigations are ongoing.

The results of the investigations are sensitive and cannot be shared at this time. Investigations are by nature complex and can take time to achieve the desired outcome. The ESFA is pursuing several avenues to ensure that matters are resolved in the public interest.

In addition, the department is working with the sector to continue building capacity and expertise in financial management, supporting effective school resource management with specialist advisers, three-year financial forecasting and developing buying hubs, and recommended deals for all schools.

All of this is reflected in the compliance of the sector, with fewer than 2% of academy trusts subject to an active financial notice to improve and 98% of academy trust accounts receiving unqualified opinions in both 2015/16 and 2016/17.