Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Academy Trusts: Governance

Monday 19 January 2026 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Rachel Taylor questioned the Minister about financial mismanagement by the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership trust, impacting schools in her constituency and leading to strikes.
  • Sarah Dyke raised concerns about the pressures on schools to convert to academy trusts, noting that some parents are worried about the potential negative impacts on school performance.
  • The Minister emphasized the benefits of collaboration in multi-academy trusts, including cost savings and sharing best practices, while stressing the importance of strong accountability and upcoming legislation for inspections.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rachel Taylor Lab North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Education
Context

The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership trust has faced financial mismanagement, leading to disputes with the National Education Union and strikes in schools across the west midlands. This disruption affects students at Coleshill school and Curdworth primary school in Rachel Taylor's constituency.

Question

Financial mismanagement by the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership trust has led to disputes with the National Education Union and, currently, strikes, which is disrupting the learning of students across the west midlands, including at the Coleshill school and Curdworth primary school in my constituency. What steps is the Minister taking to ensure that academy trusts are well managed and build positive relationships with staff so that students and parents do not have to endure this disruption again?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)

I thank my hon. Friend and other colleagues who came to see me a few weeks ago about this issue and the impact it is having on their communities. We continue to work with the trust. The work of multi-academy trusts is crucial for children, families and school staff, and it is right that they are subject to transparent accountability. We are delivering our manifesto commitment by legislating to introduce Ofsted inspections of academy trusts and related intervention powers for the Secretary of State, which will support strong governance across the sector, ensuring that the interests of children always come first.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or interventions to address the ongoing financial mismanagement and strikes in Rachel Taylor's constituency were not addressed.

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Q2 Sarah Dyke Lib Dem Glastonbury and Somerton
Education
Context

Parents in Glastonbury and Somerton have expressed concerns that converting schools to academy trusts may not always improve performance. Some parents are worried about the impact on school performance when multiple schools join a trust.

Question

Pressures on schools to convert to academy trusts are considerable and widespread, but acadising at all costs is not always in everybody’s interests. Some parents in Glastonbury and Somerton have told me that they are concerned that where decisions are taken across a number of schools, performance could diminish as a result. What steps is the Minister taking to monitor trusts and hold them accountable, especially where a school that has joined with an academy has failed to improve?

Answer from The Minister for School Standards (Georgia Gould)

I have seen real benefits from collaboration in saving money and sharing best practice to support children in their learning. However, as I have just set out, it is crucial that there is strong accountability, and we are legislating to bring in inspections for multi-academy trusts to ensure that there is strong governance and accountability.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific measures or evidence-based interventions to improve performance monitoring and address declining school performance within trusts were not detailed.

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