Academies
Education
Richard Burden (Birmingham, Northfield, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the respective roles and responsibilities are of (a) local education authorities, (b) school governing bodies, (c) officials in his Department and (d) sponsors in the (i) negotiation and (ii) approval of funding agreements in respect of a school converting to academy status.
Elizabeth Truss (South West Norfolk, Conservative)
holding answer
The approval of a funding agreement between the Secretary of State for Education and the academy trust is the final stage in the process of a school becoming an academy. To reach that agreement, officials in the Department will have had discussions with the school governing body, the local authority and a sponsor where applicable. The school governing body has particular responsibility for consulting locally and passing a resolution to become an academy.
Further information on becoming an academy is set out in the guidance documentation on the Department's website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies