Schools: Finance

Department for Education written question – answered at on 13 December 2017.

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Photo of Layla Moran Layla Moran Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Education)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools are in financial special measures; and how many of those schools have been in financial special measures for more than (i) six months, (ii) 12 months, (iii) 18 months and (iv) 24 months.

Photo of Layla Moran Layla Moran Liberal Democrat Spokesperson (Education)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) local authority maintained schools (b) academies and (c) free schools are currently in financial special measures; and of those how many have been in financial special measures for more than (i) 6 months (ii) 12 months (iii) 18 months (iv) 24 months.

Photo of Nick Gibb Nick Gibb Minister of State (Education)

Accountability for academy trusts is founded on a clear framework communicated and regulated by the Education Skills Funding Agency (EFSA), with effective oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessment, and robust intervention to help trusts reach a stronger position when things go wrong. Where there is a risk to public funds, the ESFA will intervene in a way that is proportionate to the risk and preserves the effective education of children. When the ESFA intervenes, it publishes financial notices to improve. These are available at GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academies-financial-notices-to-improve.

The evidence demonstrates strong financial management in the majority of academy trusts. Fewer than 2% of academy trusts are subject to an active Financial Notice to Improve.

For maintained schools, each Local Authority (LA) is required to publish a scheme for financing schools. This scheme should include a provision that allows the authority to issue a notice of concern to any of its maintained schools. The notice is separate from LA’s powers to withdraw financial delegation, where withdrawal is the most appropriate action. The Department publishes statutory guidance on these schemes, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486440/Scheme_for_Financing_Schools_Dec_2015.pdf.

As each LA has the freedom to tailor its scheme and set the criteria for individual notices, records for such notices are held by the individual authority concerned.

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