Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what shortcomings, if any, they have identified with the performance of multi-academy trusts; what are the oversight arrangements for governance and public accountability; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which those arrangements are adequate and fit for purpose.

Academy trusts are held to account through a Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State and bound by both company and charity law.

The department publishes statistics on the performance of schools in multi-academy trusts on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-academy-trust-performance-measures-2015-to-2016, and in the ‘Academy Schools Sector in England’, attached.

Academy trusts are required to submit audited accounts on an annual basis. The auditors are required to express a view on the financial health of a trust and to produce a public management letter summarising their audit.

The primary responsibility for the oversight of trusts rests with the trustees themselves. Regional Schools Commissioners act on behalf of the Secretary of State, and continually review the performance of all of the multi-academy trusts in their region, working closely with the Education and Skills Funding Agency who have oversight of financial performance and governance. Where concerns are identified, the department acts swiftly and robustly to address these.

Further information on the oversight arrangements for academy trusts is set out in ‘Multi-academy trusts: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2016–17’, which is attached.

We continuously review the adequacy of oversight arrangements.