Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the test and learn exercise for local authority multi-academy trusts announced in May 2022, which local authorities (a) submitted a registration of interest and (b) have been invited to participate in the test and learn exercise.

The Department has received 29 registrations of interest from local authorities interested in establishing a Multi-Academy Trust through a test-and-learn exercise. The Department is withholding the release of the names of the local authorities who submitted a registration of interest, as it has previously applied a Freedom of Information Act 2000 exemption to this information, referring to Section 35(1)(a), which relates to the formulation and development of government policy.

The Department undertook a public interest test as required by the Act and concluded that not disclosing the information outweighed the public interest in disclosure.

The Department will publish the names of the successful applications for the test-and-learn in due course.