The department is building a supportive schools\u2019 culture in which Regional Schools Commissioners work with multi academy trusts to drive school improvement. As part of this, the department will offer schools the support they need, in line with the \u2018Schools Causing Concern\u2019 guidance.<\/p>
The department does not currently have concerns about the financial position of the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust as evidenced in the trust\u2019s annual accounts return.<\/p>
Academy trusts are expected to manage their resources and financial position effectively. Their status as companies, charities and public sector bodies, means they have a more rigorous tri\u2011partite framework and are held up to greater scrutiny. There is a clear framework of accountability for academy trusts regulated by the Education & Skills Funding Agency through trusts\u2019 funding agreements and the Academies Financial Handbook. This can be accessed at:<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academies-financial-handbook<\/a>.<\/p> There is effective oversight and compliance based on proportionate risk assessment and robust intervention when concerns arise. In addition, all academy trusts must have an annual external audit of their annual accounts by a registered statutory auditor. This external scrutiny provides the department with a high level of confidence that oversight is professional and consistent.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4113", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stratford-on-Avon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nadhim Zahawi"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "235269"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-26T16:43:18.387Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Egremont Primary School: Redundancy"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to reports that Egremont Primary School in Wallasey will be making 18 members of staff redundant, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of that loss of staff on the level of education children attending that school will receive.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wallasey"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ms Angela Eagle"}
], "uin" : "235268"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078503", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078503/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The attached table shows the number of children eligible for free school meals (FSM), in Wallasey, Wirral and England, who attended primary schools rated as \u2018Good\u2019 or \u2018Outstanding\u2019. As at 31 August 2018, 87% of children are now in primary schools in England rated as \u2018Good\u2019 or \u2018Outstanding\u2019.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4113", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stratford-on-Avon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nadhim Zahawi"}
, "attachment" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078503/answer/attachment/1", "fileName" : {"_value" : "Table_for_PQ_226554_showing_number_and_percentage_of_pupils_eligible_for_free_school_meals_in_good_and_outstanding_schools .doc"}
, "title" : "226554_table_on_free_school_meal_eligibility"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-04T13:02:02.397Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Primary Education: Free School Meals"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in (a) Wallasey constituency, (b) Wirral and (c) England that were (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for free school meals attended a primary school rated as (A) good and (B) outstanding in the academic year ending August 2018.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wallasey"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ms Angela Eagle"}
], "uin" : "226554"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078506", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078506/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government recognises the importance of broadband infrastructure for schools. The Department is working with industry and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to accelerate the full fibre internet connectivity rollout to all schools. In addition to this, The Department is supporting those schools most in need[1], which will not otherwise receive a timely upgrade through commercial routes. Hundreds of schools have been identified where connectivity will be accelerated by funding a new full fibre connection over the next two years, bringing schools, local communities and businesses onto an ultrafast, full fibre connection. As a result, fewer than 10 state funded mainstream schools in Merseyside are in areas that cannot guarantee connection speeds of over 30Mbps[2]. The numbers for Wirral and Wallasey are even lower and so harder to reliably estimate.<\/p> The Department will be publishing an Education Technology strategy in the Spring, which will include how schools are being supported to overcome the barrier of internet connectivity to harness the opportunities of technology.<\/p> <\/p> [1] As announced in the Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-telecoms-infrastructure-review<\/a>, the market alone is unlikely to support network deployment in the final c.10% of premises.<\/p> [2] https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/multi-sector-research/infrastructure-research/connected-nations-2018<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-06", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "previousAnswerVersion" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1078506/answer/previousversion/105667", "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/111", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nick Gibb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Bognor Regis and Littlehampton"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nick Gibb"}
}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-06T17:06:38.697Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Schools: Broadband"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of schools in (a) Wallasey, (b) Wirral and (c) Merseyside with internet speeds of (i) less than 10 Mbps, (ii) between 10 and 30 Mbps and (iii) over 30 Mbps.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wallasey"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ms Angela Eagle"}
], "uin" : "226555"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1057045", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1057045/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The department publishes information on looked-after children, child protection plans and children in need in local authorities, including those within Wirral and Liverpool, in the local authority interactive tool. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait<\/a>.<\/p> There are a range of factors that contribute to trends in demand for children\u2019s social care including deprivation in different local authorities. The most deprived local authorities have more looked-after children (per 10,000 0 to 17-year-olds), and these rates have grown faster than the least deprived local authorities. The most common factors that present themselves in children\u2019s social care assessments are domestic abuse and mental health. Data on this is available in table C3 of the statistical release \u2018Characteristics of children in need 2017 to 2018\u2019 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2017-to-2018<\/a>.<\/p> In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children\u2019s services.<\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4113", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stratford-on-Avon"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nadhim Zahawi"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-02-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-02-13T16:52:33.837Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-02-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Children: Merseyside"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of looked after children, child protection plans and children in need throughout (a) Wirral and (b) Liverpool City Region in the last five years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/491", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Wallasey"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ms Angela Eagle"}
], "uin" : "218759"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1022912", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1022912/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " In 2018/19, the following Education and Skills Funding Agency contracts were in place with Interserve Learning and Employment (Services) Ltd.<\/p>