Local authorities with a track record of strong educational performance should be allowed to set-up their own multi-academy trusts (MATs), MPs say.
A report published today by the House of Commons Education Committee has raised ‘significant concerns’ about the performance, accountability and expansion of the MAT model.
It noted MATs are not sufficiently accountable to parents and local communities, and warned there were gaps in how they were assessed by Ofsted and Regional Schools Commissioners.
The committee also said there was a ‘high degree of uncertainty’ around their effectiveness and said there was not yet the evidence to support large scale expansion.
‘Since launching this inquiry there have been several changes to academy policy which have caused uncertainty and instability in the sector,’ said committee chair Neil Carmichael.
‘We have significant concerns about the performance, accountability and expansion of multi-academy trusts.
‘While some MATs are producing excellent results and making a valuable contribution to our education system, a considerable number are failing to improve and are consistently at the bottom of league tables.’
A multi-academy trust is a single entity established to improve educational standards across a group of schools. While each school has its own governing body, the MAT is ultimately responsible for the performance of all of them.
The number of MATs in England has risen from 391 in 2011 to 1,121 in 2016 and, as of March 2016, 65% of all academies and free schools were in the trusts.
According to Department of Education (DfE) figures, there were 21,525 state-funded schools in England, of which 1,618 were standalone academies and 4,140 were in MATs as of November 2016.
The committee also said the DfE had a long way to go to demonstrate that public money given to academies is being used effectively.
It warned it was ‘far from clear’ that the DfE or Education Funding Agency can cope with the further pressure on their financial oversight capabilities that significant expansion of MATs will create.
‘MATs have emerged from the Government’s plan to increase the number of academies but policy and oversight have been playing catch-up,’ said Mr Carmichael
‘Only time will tell if MATs are more successful than local authorities in tackling under-performance and supporting high-performing schools.
‘But if the Government is to pursue the goal of further academisation, it will need to work with local authorities and allow those councils with a track record of strong educational performance to use their expertise within their education department to create MATs.’
Responding to the report, Cllr Richard Watts, chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) Children and Young People Board, said: ‘The LGA has long been concerned about the lack of local accountability, financial oversight and governance arrangements that exist for multi-academy trusts.
‘With 91% of maintained schools now rated as either outstanding or good by Ofsted, now is the time for government to recognise councils as its education improvement partners.
‘Schools should be given the freedom to choose, in partnership with parents and councils, whichever structure is most appropriate for local children and if that means councils setting up their own MATs then they should be able to do so.’
