Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of schools that are at risk of declaring bankruptcy or insolvency in 2023 in (a) England and (b) Plymouth.

The financial health of the academies sector is strong. The Department recognises that, in the current climate, some trusts may be facing financial difficulty, including those in Plymouth and across the country. Where that is the case, the Education and Skills Funding Agency will work with the trust and offer practical forms of support, including additional financial support, to protect the education of their pupils where necessary. This forms part of the wider Departmental oversight of financial, educational and governance delivery in the sector.

The primary responsibility for the oversight of an academy trust rests with its trustees who must deliver strong governance, monitor the financial health of their trust, and ensure they remain as a going concern. The requirements and responsibilities for trustees on managing a going concern are set out in the Financial Reporting Council's Guidance on the Going Concern in the Academy Accounts Direction and the Academy Trust Handbook.

The Department supports all schools through the School Resource Management (SRM) suite of tools and services, which help ensure that every school and academy trust can obtain the best value from their resources.