Academies and free schools

Published 23 March 2015.

The government welcomes the Committee's report and says it will continue to develop the academies and free schools programmes, agreeing with some recommendations while giving reasons for not taking forward others.

• On transparency of academy chain performance, it "agree[s]" that more information is important and commits to publishing a consultation document and KS4 performance data for medium and large chains and local authorities "before the end of the Parliament".
• It does not take up the recommendation to renegotiate funding agreements to require collaboration, calling this "disproportionate", and says it would be "wrong" to create an inspection system that penalises heads who focus on improving their own school.
• On splitting the EFA's regulatory and funding roles, it gives no commitment to a review, stating that holding both is "in line with a government-wide approach to managing public money" and that it is "appropriate" for the EFA to hold the regulatory role.
• On Ofsted inspection of academy chains, it believes the "most appropriate way" is to build on Ofsted's approach to focused inspections of MATs, and says it has written to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to set out this approach.

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