Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on who is an appropriate person to hold title deeds for schools which are funded by the UK taxpayer; and whether those deeds can be sold or otherwise transferred.

The Department for Education does not hold a policy on who an appropriate person is to hold title deeds for schools funded by the UK taxpayer, as the law strictly controls the disposal of publicly-funded school land.

When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust. In some circumstances, my Rt. hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, may allow publicly-funded school land to be transferred to a person concerned in the running of an academy. Where this occurs, the transfer will be to an academy trust, which will have satisfied the Secretary of State as to its ability to operate a state-funded school.