Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures are in place to support academy schools rated as (a) inadequate and (b) requires improvement by Ofsted in tackling problems related to (i) leadership, (ii) the curriculum and (iii) student outcomes.

The department is focused on driving high and rising standards across all our schools, with a particular focus on those judged to be in need of additional support and intervention.

The School Improvement Offer provides ten days of support from a system leader to help the leadership team review a school’s improvement plan and ensure actions are in place to rapidly improve the education and experience of children. Full details can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/trust-and-school-improvement-offer.

The School Improvement Offer is available for schools of concern to Ofsted and those which were previously judged below ’good’ and subsequently receive a requires improvement sub-judgement in either leadership and management or quality of education between September 2024 and February 2025.

The department also provides support through a range of curriculum hubs which offer support and training to help schools enhance their curriculum planning and implementation. These can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/access-support-from-school-hubs/subject-hubs.

In addition, attendance and behaviour hubs have been introduced to support schools in developing effective whole-school cultures that promote excellent attendance and behaviour, which are important factors in improving student outcomes. Attendance hubs can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/attendance-hubs. Information on behaviour hubs is available at: https://behaviourhubs.co.uk/.

The department‘s suite of National Professional Qualifications are designed to support school leaders to develop their skills across a range of areas, including leadership skills, pedagogy, behaviour management and setting culture, with the aim to improve school outcomes.

Where necessary, in cases of the most serious concern, the government will continue to intervene and transfer schools to new management, including by issuing an academy order. Guidance on governmental support and intervention in schools can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-causing-concern--2.

From early 2025, new Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) teams will support all state schools by facilitating networking, sharing best practice and empowering schools to feel they can better access these supports and learn from one another. For schools requiring more intensive support, RISE teams and supporting organisations will work collaboratively with their responsible body to agree bespoke packages of targeted support, based on a school’s particular circumstances.

Further information on support for schools, including those previously judged by Ofsted as ’inadequate’ or ’requires improvement’ can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/school-improvement-support.