Responding to the report by the House of Commons Education
Committee that calls on Ministers to allow local authorities with
a track record of strong educational performance to set-up their
own Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs), Cllr , Chair of the Local
Government Association’s 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 per cent 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.
“If parents are concerned about an academy, at the moment all
they can do is raise their concerns with a distant Regional
Schools Commissioner or the remote Department for Education.
Allowing local authorities to set up MATS would ensure the
council and its directly elected councillors, who know their
local schools and the communities they serve better than anyone
else, will be able to step in and help.
“Councils also have vast experience in managing large budgets and
have a reputation as being the most efficient, transparent and
trusted part of the public sector. Running their own MATs would
also allow councils to keep an eye on all local school spending.”
