Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen the regulatory framework for multi-academy trusts.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department provides multi-academy trusts with a high level of autonomy to drive improvement in the school sector. This approach ensures trust leaders are accountable to their trustees.
Inspection of individual schools and financial oversight from the Education and Skills Funding Agency are the two primary levers in the Department’s regulation of trusts. We publish performance information on multi-academy trusts and have powers to intervene in the event of failures of governance.
In March, the Department published the Academies Regulatory and Commissioning Review. This sets out how we will revise and consolidate our regulatory approach, so it is more proportionate, effective and risk-based, delivering regulatory oversight in a more strategic manner. It also details how the Department will support the continued transition to a self-improving system by sharing best practice and supporting trust improvement.
Finally, the Review sets out how we will reform our approach to commissioning multi-academy trusts to grow. It was followed in July by the publication of the ‘Commissioning high-quality trusts’ guidance. Together, these documents set out new, high expectations on trusts that want to grow which we will apply consistently and transparently. The result will be that standards in the trust sector will continue to rise.
Multi-academy trusts continue to improve standards in schools with poor Ofsted ratings, with 88% of schools now rated good or outstanding compared to 68% in 2010. This reflects the ability of high quality trusts to introduce effective approaches to raising standards, and to deploy the capacity and capability of the trust to target underperformance.
Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of unlicensed schools operating in (a) West Dorset constituency, (b) Dorset and (c) England.
Answered by Robin Walker
Any education institution which provides full-time provision to 5 or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is ‘looked after’ or who has an education, health and care plan) is required to register with the Secretary of State for Education. It is a criminal offence under section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered.
Since those conducting an unregistered school are committing a criminal offence, they do not generally inform the Department for Education about the school’s operation. It is not therefore possible to accurately estimate the number of unregistered schools operating in (a) West Dorset constituency, (b) Dorset, and (c) England.
The Department for Education and Ofsted continue to investigate any institution where intelligence or evidence suggest the operation of an unregistered school. Section 97 of the 2008 Act permits the Chief Inspector to investigate, and conduct no-notice inspections of, institutions believed to be operating in breach of the registration requirement.
Ofsted publishes statistics on the number and outcomes of investigations carried out into unregistered schools. Statistics have been published online for the period 1 January 2016 to 31 August 2021. The statistics up to 31 August 2021 showing the investigations and inspections which have taken place both nationally and in the south-west are in the table attached.
Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of services for children with special educational needs and disabilities in (a) Dorset and (b) West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Will Quince
Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) carry out local area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections. Inspectors will look for evidence of how children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (or both) are identified and how their needs are assessed and met. They also look for evidence of how they are supported to move on to their next stage of education, the world of work and wider preparations for adulthood.
Dorset, which includes the district of West Dorset, had a local area SEND inspection in January 2017 and were required to produce a Written Statement of Action to improve in four areas of significant weakness. They were revisited by Ofsted and the CQC in February 2019 and were found to have improved in two of the four areas. An Accelerated Progress Plan to address the two areas that had not made sufficient progress was then put in place, with the department and NHS England providing challenge and support to make the required improvements. By January 2021, the department and NHS England judged that Dorset had made sufficient progress in both areas.
The department is currently working with Ofsted and the CQC on an amended SEND inspection framework. Dorset’s SEND services will be inspected again as part of this.
Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of pupils being educated in illegal schools; and what steps he is taking to prevent those schools from operating.
Answered by Robin Walker
Any educational institution which provides full-time provision to five or more pupils of compulsory school age (or one or more pupils of compulsory school age who is ‘looked after’ or has an education, health and care plan) is required to register with the Secretary of State for Education as a school. It is a criminal offence under Section 96 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 to conduct an independent educational institution unless it is registered.
The department has not made any estimate of the number of pupils in unregistered schools. Those conducting an unregistered school are committing a criminal offence and they do not generally inform the department about the school’s operation. It is not therefore possible to accurately estimate the number of children attending an unregistered school.
The department and Ofsted continue to investigate any institutions where intelligence or evidence suggest the operation of an unregistered school. Section 97 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 permits no-notice inspections of institutions believed to be operating in breach of the registration requirement.
Between 1 January 2016 and 31 August 2021, 119 settings subject to a Section 97 inspection were identified as operating as an unregistered independent school. Joint work between the department and Ofsted has led to 101 of these settings changing their provision to operate lawfully, and no longer in breach of the 2008 Act. In that time, five successful prosecutions have been brought against those responsible for conducting illegal settings.
The department consulted in 2020 on extending the registration requirement to education institutions that operate full time but only offer a very narrow curriculum, which are currently allowed to operate without registration. The department will respond to this consultation soon, setting out next steps. The department has also committed to taking forward measures to make it easier to investigate and prosecute unregistered schools, including in the 2019 Integrated Communities Action Plan. The department intends to take forward such measures when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.
Asked by: Chris Loder (Conservative - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure Military Preparation Diplomas continue to receive adequate funding.
Answered by Gillian Keegan
Education providers use their government funding on qualifications that are approved by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The list of qualifications approved for funding includes 18 qualifications that involve preparation for uniformed service (sometimes referred to as Military Preparation Diplomas).
The funding providers receive for qualifications approved by the ESFA is based on a range of factors detailed in our guidance published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-rates-and-formula.
All qualifications at level 3 and below (excluding A levels, T Levels, GCSEs and Functional Skills) are subject to a review in which we will decide which qualifications will be available for public funding in future. As part of the review, we have recently published a consultation and call for evidence. Respondents are welcome to give views on the role and purpose of specific qualifications, including those designed to prepare students for the military.