Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Schools White Paper, what plans she has to safeguard local authority-run schools.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ white paper sets out the unique and vital role local authorities play in delivery of high-quality education and opportunities for all children in their communities, including through working collaboratively with local partners to deliver responsibilities such as place planning, inclusion and safeguarding. As more schools join high-quality trusts, local authority-maintained schools will continue to play a central role in driving high and rising standards and in establishing trusts where appropriate.

The White Paper set out a move towards all schools being in a strong, high-quality trusts and sets out a new route for local authorities to establish trusts, utilising their unique capacity to build local partnerships across their communities in the best interests of all children. The department is working closely with local authorities which have expressed an interest in this proposal and will be setting out next steps shortly.