Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to footnote 7 to Table 5.2 of the 2025 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, if she will set out a timeline and completion date for improving the recording of central government academy expenditure between primary and secondary phases of education.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Spend data for academies is reported at academy trust level. Allocating trust expenditure by phase remains challenging due to both the continuing increase in the number of academies combined with a decreasing number of academy trusts and the ability of academy trusts to incur spend on their schools’ behalf. Many academy trusts with multiple academies amalgamate funding for its academies to form one central fund. This practice can enhance a trust’s ability to allocate resources in line with improvement priorities and running costs across the trust’s constituent academies but makes apportionment of that spending by phase more challenging.
The department is exploring whether a spending apportionment using pupil numbers would provide more reliable and relevant information. If this methodology meets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value required of accredited official statistics, we will seek to implement this for the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2027.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure value for money for funding from her Department to support multi-academy trusts with financial issues.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government is delivering on its manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspection of academy trusts to help drive better outcomes for children and provide greater confidence for parents. Robust financial oversight is crucial to achieving a strong school system and trust inspections will look at whether trusts are using their resources efficiently and strategically to support high quality education. This will provide families clear and independent assurance about the strength of the trust responsible for their child’s academy.
We know there is excellent practice across the sector, with schools and trusts proactively finding ways to secure better value from their resources. The department’s Maximising Value for Pupils programme helps schools seize opportunities to maximise value in four key areas: commercial spend, assets, including reserves, workforce deployment, and developing capabilities, including digital and technology.
Where an academy trust is facing financial difficulties, the department offers practical advice and guidance covering financial management, educational performance, and governance. Where failings in financial management or governance are identified, the department can take robust action to drive the required improvement, for example through issuing a Financial Notice to Improve. We may also commission a School Resource Management Adviser to provide additional specialist advice where required.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2026 to Question 113238, whether she has made an estimate of the number of multi-academy trusts which are chaired by individuals who are themselves chief executives of other multi-academy trusts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The details of the chair of trustees and the accounting officer (CEO) of a multi-academy trust must be recorded on the Get Information About Schools service at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. The department does not hold comparative data on the numbers of accounting officers who also serve as chair of trustees for another trust.
There are no restrictions preventing the CEO of an academy trust from serving as the chair on another multi-academy trust board.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an estimate of the number of multi-academy trusts which are chaired by individuals who are themselves chief executives of multi-academy trusts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s model articles for academy trusts set out that a trustee who is employed by the academy trust shall not be eligible for election as chair or vice chair. The board holds the chief executive to account for the day to day running of the trust. To support transparency, the chair’s details must be recorded on Get Information About Schools (GIAS). As of 16 February 2026, there were no trusts recorded on GIAS showing the same person as chair and chief executive.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has issued guidance to multi-academy trusts on the necessary characteristics, qualities and attributes of chairs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department’s ’Academy trust governance guide’ and ‘Academy trust handbook’ set out the role and responsibilities of the chair of trustees. The guidance also outlines the skills, expertise, and behaviours that any trustee needs for the board to carry out its functions effectively.
The board, led by the chair, holds the senior executive leader to account for the day to day running of the trust. The chair also ensures the board operates effectively and plays a central role in establishing the highest expectations for professional standards, governance, and accountability.
The department’s model articles specify that any trustee employed by the academy trust is not eligible to serve as chair or vice-chair.
To support transparency, the chair’s details must be recorded on Get Information About Schools. Their details, along with any relevant business interests, must also be published on the trust’s website.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which state schools took part in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in the most recent financial year by (a) local authority and (b) constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
State schools that took part in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme in the 2024/25 financial year by (a) local authority and (b) constituency is available in the attached table.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which state schools are taking part in the Early Language Support for Every Child Programme by (a) local authority and (b) constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
A list of state schools that have taken part in the Early Language Support for Every Child programme up to the end of June 2025 is provided. Please note that as this is a pupil-led and not school-led programme, a small number of schools may have engaged in the programme during the last few weeks of the 2024/25 academic year in July, and we are awaiting an updated list from one of the nine pathfinder areas, the East Midlands, which covers the Leicester City, Leicestershire and Rutland local authority areas. A further list will therefore be provided by the end of August 2025 capturing this information.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which state schools are taking part in the Music Opportunities Pilot by (a) local authority and (b) constituency.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The state schools in the attached spreadsheet are taking part in the Music Opportunities Pilot.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library of the House of Commons a table setting out (a) whether it is a maintained school or an academy trust, (b) by which local authority it is maintained, or to which trust it belongs, (c) the URN of the school, (d) the name of the school, (e) the Parliamentary constituency in which that school is located and (f) the most recent single headline grade which that school was given by Ofsted for every school in the English schools system which was most recently inspected by Ofsted before 1 September 2024.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The data requested is available on the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) webpage and can be accessed at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Groups/Search?tok=8UqndC6e and https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Search?tok=8UqkAM1u.
GIAS is a live database. Schools, colleges and academy trusts can make changes to it at any time. The data can be downloaded via the ’Downloads’ link at the top of the page.
GIAS links to each institution’s Ofsted page rather than presenting their overall effectiveness grade, however, a spreadsheet containing all school and colleges’ grades as at 31 August 2024 can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/state-funded-schools-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-august-2024.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will place in the Library of the House of Commons a table setting out (a) the name of the trust and (b) the company number of that trust under which it is registered with Companies House for every academy trust in the English schools system.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell
The data requested is available on the Get Information About Schools (GIAS) webpage and can be accessed at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Groups/Search?tok=8UqndC6e and https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Search?tok=8UqkAM1u.
GIAS is a live database. Schools, colleges and academy trusts can make changes to it at any time. The data can be downloaded via the ’Downloads’ link at the top of the page.
GIAS links to each institution’s Ofsted page rather than presenting their overall effectiveness grade, however, a spreadsheet containing all school and colleges’ grades as at 31 August 2024 can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/state-funded-schools-inspections-and-outcomes-as-at-31-august-2024.