Schools: Academies

Lord Dykes Excerpts

Tuesday 4th March 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

Ofsted looks at the support that chains are giving to their schools, and we have a very tight grip on the governance of all the chains. We have been in discussions with 50 chains to strengthen their governance arrangements and have a network of non-executive directors whom we have been introducing to chains to support them.

[Lord Dykes (LD)]

To restore public confidence, should not these institutions be genuine, single, self-standing schools without these rather dodgy business connections where chains are using taxpayers’ money which may not be properly audited?

[Lord Nash]

It is absolutely clear that anyone in any sort of governance arrangement with an academy or an academy chain cannot profit from their engagement. Any services provided from the connected party must be provided at no more than cost, and many of those philanthropists provide those services at considerably less than cost.

Schools: Independent Schools

Lord Dykes Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2014 Lords Chamber

[Lord Nash]

They come from the subsidy that independent schools give on fees that would otherwise be paid by parents, which they find from their own resources or from charitable raising activities.

[Lord Dykes (LD)]

Does my noble friend agree that, if children from poorer families go to rather grand private schools, they can sometimes have a rather rough time when they first arrive and so on? What measures can the Government encourage those schools to take to make it socially easier for them to integrate?

[Lord Nash]

The noble Lord makes a very good point.