Speeches

Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2016 to Question 45512, what grades of officials and which Ministers have the authority to make decisions on the approval or rejection of applications from maintained schools to convert to academy status.

Edward Timpson

The Secretary of State for Education has authorised the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools and eight regional schools commissioners (RSCs) to act on her behalf on the approval or rejection of applications for maintained schools to convert to academy status. RSCs are Director level civil servants; the Secretary of State remains accountable for, and has the power to overturn, their decisions. RSCs must make their decisions in line with a Decision Making Framework, which has been determined by ministers. The Decision Making Framework is published on gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/548540/RSC_Decision_Making_Framework_April_2016.pdf