Data shows that council-maintained schools receive better Ofsted ratings, and improve more quickly, than academy schools. Analysis undertaken for the LGA showed that ninety-one per cent of maintained schools are now rated as either Good or Outstanding.
Key messages
- All children deserve access to the best possible education and the best way to achieve this is through council-maintained schools with locally set and agreed budgets that can be adapted to meet local needs.
- Data shows that council-maintained schools receive better Ofsted ratings, and improve more quickly, than academy schools. Analysis undertaken for the LGA by Angel Solutions, an independent consultancy found that ninety-one per cent of maintained schools are now rated as either good or outstanding.
- The Government should take advantage of councils' position in the community in order to give them a clear and strategic role in school improvement and holding schools to account for education standards.
- Councils know their local schools best and are uniquely placed to offer up to date local knowledge. Local government must be empowered to help all schools improve where necessary, including academies and free schools. Councils should also have a clear role in decisions on the location of new academies and free schools.
- We were pleased that the Government recognised the work of local government to deliver an excellent education to all children and young people with the July 2017 announcement that an additional £1.3 billion would be allocated to schools during 2018-19 and 2019-20. This means that no school will lose out under the new National Funding Formula (NFF).
- We also welcome the Chancellor’s commitment of £400 million for schools in England this year to spend on equipment and facilities, announced in the Budget last month.
- The NFF will see the budgets of 22,000 schools being set in Whitehall, rather than in local areas. We are pleased that until 2020 at least, councils and schools will retain some flexibility to agree a slightly different allocation to reflect local needs and circumstances.
- We are also concerned that the introduction of the NFF, combined with changes to High Needs Funding, will exacerbate existing shortfalls in funding to support children and young people with SEND.
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LGA Briefing: Improving Education Standards House of Commons, 29 November 2018