Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential financial benefits for sixth form colleges of converting to academy status as a result of (a) VAT exemptions, (b) VAT refunds, and (c) additional funding opportunities.
Sixth form colleges are independent statutory bodies and it is their responsibility to make an assessment of all the potential benefits and disbenefits of conversion to a 16-19 academy. The department has issued guidance to help inform their assessments: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/16-to-19-academies-application-process-for-sixth-form-colleges.