Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department's policy is on where a school's deficit would be transferred at the point of its conversion to an academy.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Deficits for voluntary converter academies will normally transfer with the school.
Further information can be found in the Department’s guidance: “Treatment of surplus and deficit balances when maintained schools become academies” which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdf
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether virtual schools for children in care can apply for her Department's summer school funding.
Answered by David Laws
The pupil premium: summer schools programme is open to the following type of schools:
Virtual schools, which are a way of local authorities tracking the educational progress of the children they look after as if they attended a single school, are not eligible to apply for summer school funding.
Looked-after children can benefit from summer school funding through the school they will attend in Year 7. The exact make-up of the summer school is decided by individual headteachers. They can, for example, tailor aspects of their summer school programme to meet the specific needs of their looked-after children.
The purpose of the summer schools programme is to support disadvantaged pupils through the potentially difficult institutional transition to secondary school; this specific transitional issue does not arise in a virtual school. Support at this crucial stage is best provided by the school where the pupil is expected to attend in Year 7.
Asked by: Jonathan Reynolds (Labour (Co-op) - Stalybridge and Hyde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether virtual schools for children in care can apply for her Department's summer school funding.
Answered by David Laws
The pupil premium: summer schools programme is open to the following type of schools:
Virtual schools, which are a way of local authorities tracking the educational progress of the children they look after as if they attended a single school, are not eligible to apply for summer school funding.
Looked-after children can benefit from summer school funding through the school they will attend in Year 7. The exact make-up of the summer school is decided by individual headteachers. They can, for example, tailor aspects of their summer school programme to meet the specific needs of their looked-after children.
The purpose of the summer schools programme is to support disadvantaged pupils through the potentially difficult institutional transition to secondary school; this specific transitional issue does not arise in a virtual school. Support at this crucial stage is best provided by the school where the pupil is expected to attend in Year 7.