The process to become an academy is school led, with schools\u2019 Local Governing Bodies taking the initiative to apply to their Regional School Commissioners\u2019 office on whether to join an existing academy trust, or form one with partner schools. The only exception to this, where the department takes a leading role, is where a school is judged as \u2018inadequate\u2019 by Ofsted, as the law requires the Secretary of State to make an order enabling the school to become an academy.<\/p>
<\/p>
The department aims to ensure that all schools considering becoming academies are able to join strong academy trusts, and this has historically been supported through trust capacity funding. Ultimately, our ambition is for every school that wants to, to benefit from the autonomy and freedom to innovate that academy status offers, and for schools to collaborate through strong academy trusts.<\/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" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-17T14:43:33.64Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Academies: Multi-academy Trusts"} , "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 steps he has taken to help ensure that schools take the leading role in deciding whether to (a) form and (b) join a multi-academy trust.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4635", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Eddie Hughes"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Walsall North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Eddie Hughes"} ], "uin" : "276587"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138608", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1138608/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
\u200bWe regularly make representations on Mr Johal<\/strong>'s behalf, including raising his right to a fair trial. Our High Commissioner in India raised this with the Indian High Commissioner to the UK most recently on 10 June.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1466", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South West Wiltshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Dr Andrew Murrison"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Jagtar Singh Johal"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on the time taken to conduct the trial of Jagtar Singh Johal in that country.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4635", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Eddie Hughes"}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Eddie Hughes"}
], "uin" : "276588"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137812", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1137812/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Performance data illustrates how disadvantaged pupils in academy trusts are making more progress at GCSE level than the equivalent national average. Data for key stage 4 and academy trust performance in 2018 is available here:<\/p> https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774014/2018_KS4_main_text.pdf<\/a>.<\/p> In primary schools within academy trusts, disadvantaged pupils performed significantly better than the equivalent national average in writing and maths. Data for key stage 2 and academy trust performance is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/774446/KS2_Revised<\/a>.<\/p> The department has also conducted a series of assessments into the effectiveness of academy trusts in improving educational outcomes for pupils. In 2019, we published internal analysis of the performance of sponsored academies, which typically converted to academy status due to underperformance. Our analysis concluded that pupil outcomes in sponsored academies have typically improved since their formation in comparison with sets of similar schools. The analysis is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sponsored-academy-performance<\/a>. Evidence shows there are now more than 550,000 pupils in good or outstanding sponsored academies, which typically replaced underperforming local authority schools.<\/p>