Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 16
16
We asked how the parent of a child in an academy school could establish whether...
Conclusion
We asked how the parent of a child in an academy school could establish whether the school was receiving the minimum per-pupil funding levels that they were promised. The ESFA said that the most accessible source of information was the schools financial benchmarking website, which contains income and expenditure information on every school in the country, along with additional detail on academy accounts.22 We understand, however, that this website combines income figures from a number of different funding streams, and that it is not possible to see whether a school is receiving the minimum per- pupil schools block funding specifically.23 The Department said that it strongly supported transparency and that it was happy to look at whether there were improvements it could make to the financial benchmarking website to make it more helpful.24 16 Qq 70–73 17 C&AG’s Report, para 13 18 Government press release, PM guarantees minimum funding levels for all schools, 30 January 2020 19 C&AG’s Report, para 2.26 20 C&AG’s Report, para 2.29 21 Qq 81–82 22 Q 79 23 Qq 92–93 24 Q 94 School Funding 11 Funding for sixth forms
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
3: PAC conclusion: It is not possible to tell whether individual academy schools are receiving the government’s guaranteed minimum per-pupil funding levels. 3: PAC recommendation: The Department should publish each year, starting with the year ending 31 August 2021, details of the schools block per-pupil funding that each academy school has received. 3.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 3.2 The department does not collect information from academy trusts in this form and it would not be practicable to collect and publish it for the academic years ending 31 August 2021 or 31 August 2022. The department will keep under review the financial information provided by academy trusts. 3.3 The expenditure of academy schools can be analysed on a per pupil basis using data available on the Schools Financial Benchmarking website. The department believes this is the best information for assessing whether money is being spent appropriately on pupils. The department will continue to review the Schools Financial Benchmarking website to ensure that information is presented transparently and clearly, informed by user feedback.