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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/jan/17/mps-call-for-overhaul-in-oversight-of-england-academy-school-chains
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| MPs call for overhaul in oversight of England's academy school chains | MPs call for overhaul in oversight of England's academy school chains |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Parents are being “left in the dark” over who really runs schools in England, according to parliament’s education committee. It has called for the government to overhaul the oversight of academy chains after a string of high-profile failures. | Parents are being “left in the dark” over who really runs schools in England, according to parliament’s education committee. It has called for the government to overhaul the oversight of academy chains after a string of high-profile failures. |
| Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, signalled to the the new education secretary, Damian Hinds, that the system of regulation had created overlaps and confusion, allowing some multi-academy trusts (Mats) to escape oversight. | Robert Halfon, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee, signalled to the the new education secretary, Damian Hinds, that the system of regulation had created overlaps and confusion, allowing some multi-academy trusts (Mats) to escape oversight. |
| “We are particularly concerned by the extent to which failing trusts are stripping assets from their schools. It is not clear to us that all schools are benefiting from joining Mats, or that trusts are providing value for money,” Halfon said in a letter to Lord Agnew, the academies minister. | “We are particularly concerned by the extent to which failing trusts are stripping assets from their schools. It is not clear to us that all schools are benefiting from joining Mats, or that trusts are providing value for money,” Halfon said in a letter to Lord Agnew, the academies minister. |
| Academies are state schools directly accountable to the Department for Education (DfE), rather than local authorities. | Academies are state schools directly accountable to the Department for Education (DfE), rather than local authorities. |
| The government has long claimed that converting schools into academies run by chains allows them greater freedom, but a series of failures such as that of the Wakefield City Academies Trust – which collapsed last year, giving up on the 21 schools it ran – has led to the policy being called into question. | The government has long claimed that converting schools into academies run by chains allows them greater freedom, but a series of failures such as that of the Wakefield City Academies Trust – which collapsed last year, giving up on the 21 schools it ran – has led to the policy being called into question. |
| Wakefield has been accused of asset stripping after transferring millions of pounds of reserves of its schools into its own accounts before collapsing. | Wakefield has been accused of asset stripping after transferring millions of pounds of reserves of its schools into its own accounts before collapsing. |
| “It seems to us that parents, staff and students are in the dark over who is running their schools and the decisions are being taken behind closed doors,” Halfon said. | “It seems to us that parents, staff and students are in the dark over who is running their schools and the decisions are being taken behind closed doors,” Halfon said. |
| “Parents seemed to be the last people to know about the imminent collapse of Wakefield City Academies Trust, for example, and parents were the last to know about re-brokering or preferred sponsors for a school in other cases.” | “Parents seemed to be the last people to know about the imminent collapse of Wakefield City Academies Trust, for example, and parents were the last to know about re-brokering or preferred sponsors for a school in other cases.” |
| Halfon’s committee also argued that the lack of transparency was evident in the overlap in roles between the DfE’s regional agents, Ofsted and the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This overlapwas “a major cause of confusion”. | Halfon’s committee also argued that the lack of transparency was evident in the overlap in roles between the DfE’s regional agents, Ofsted and the Education and Skills Funding Agency. This overlapwas “a major cause of confusion”. |
| To solve the problem the committee said the DfE’s regional schools commissioners – who are supposed to oversee academies in eight regions of England – should be more transparent and publish scorecards on Mats which combinied financial data and performance indicators in a way that is accessible to parents. | To solve the problem the committee said the DfE’s regional schools commissioners – who are supposed to oversee academies in eight regions of England – should be more transparent and publish scorecards on Mats which combinied financial data and performance indicators in a way that is accessible to parents. |
| More than half of all secondary schools in England are now run as as academies, as well as more than a fifth of primary schools. | More than half of all secondary schools in England are now run as as academies, as well as more than a fifth of primary schools. |
| In a further letter to Hinds, Halfon asked for a statement from the DfE oabout the plight of schools affected by the collapse of infrastructure group Carillion this week. | In a further letter to Hinds, Halfon asked for a statement from the DfE oabout the plight of schools affected by the collapse of infrastructure group Carillion this week. |
| “Given the scale and nature of the services provided by Carillion to almost 900 schools and colleges, it is essential that the impacts of the firm’s collapse are understood and steps taken to ensure the continuity of services such as school catering and facilities management across the country,” Halfon said | “Given the scale and nature of the services provided by Carillion to almost 900 schools and colleges, it is essential that the impacts of the firm’s collapse are understood and steps taken to ensure the continuity of services such as school catering and facilities management across the country,” Halfon said |
| Along with providing services to schools, Carillion also ran 1,400 apprenticeships. | Along with providing services to schools, Carillion also ran 1,400 apprenticeships. |
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