the white paper education 2022 summary

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Schools white paper 2022: summary, find out about upcoming and potential policy changes and what they mean for your school or trust. plans include new attainment targets in literacy and numeracy, an academy-led education system and a drive to increase attendance., plans for an academy-led system.

• New attainment targets
• Attainment interventions
• Ofsted inspections
• New expectations on attendance
• CPD and leadership opportunities
• Trust leaders: changes to trust management

By 2030, the DfE plans that all schools will be part of a multi-academy trust (MAT) or will have plans to join or form one. 

There are no current measures to force well-performing schools to become academies.

New statutory interventions for schools consistently rated less than 'good'

From September 2022 , maintained schools and academies with 2 or more consecutive Ofsted ratings below 'good' will be in the scope of intervention powers to join an academy trust or change trusts. These powers will initially focus on EIAs, though the plan is that they'll apply nationally.

This plan is still subject to parliamentary approval and the results of a consultation . The consultation has now closed, but you can still read about the details of the proposed changes.

The government's implementation plan for the 2022/23 academic year sets out plans to begin this process through an

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Schools White Paper: everything you need to know

Ministers have set targets for higher grades at GCSE, better Sats scores and for every school to be in or on its way into a multi-academy trust by 2030, in its long-awaited Schools White Paper.

It also includes a new “Parent Pledge” that any child who falls behind in English and maths will get the support they need to get back on track, and sets the expectation that mainstream state schools will remain open for at least 32.5 hours per week.

• White Paper:   DfE expects schools to stay open for at least 32.5 hours
• Background:   Zahawi promise White Paper to tackle illiteracy
• Exclusive:   What Zahawi plans to do next

The Schools White Paper, the first in six years, is the first of two major announcements from the Department for Education this week, with a Green Paper being published tomorrow following the government’s long-running special educational needs and disability (SEND) review.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said the plans amounted to “levelling up in action”.

He said: “The  Opportunity for All  White Paper will deliver for every child, parent and family, living anywhere from rural villages to coastal towns through to the largest cities, by making sure all children have access to a school that meets our current best standards, harnessing the incredible energy and expertise of the 1 million people that work in schools.

“Any child who falls behind in maths or English will get the support they need to get back on track, and schools will also be asked to offer at least a 32.5-hour school week by September 2023.”

In his only one-to-one interview with an education publication on the launch of the White Paper, Mr Zahawi told Tes he was confident the paper’s proposals don’t need extra funding to be achievable .

The key policies and targets in the Schools White Paper

90 per cent of primary school pupils to hit the expected standard in the three Rs

The White Paper includes the previously announced target for 90 per cent of children reaching the expected standard in r eading, writing and maths in key stage 2. It says this is estimated to be worth between £31 billion and £60 billion for the wider economy, for a single cohort in 2030.

In 2019, 65 per cent of key stage 2 pupils reached the expected standard in all of reading, writing and maths, an increase of 7 percentage points in reading and 9 percentage points in maths since 2016.

The average GCSE grade in English language and maths to be a 5 by 2030

The DfE said it was setting the ambition for the average GCSE grade in English language and maths to rise to 5 by 2030 - up from 4.5 in the last set of exams before the pandemic, in 2019.

The White Paper says: “ Achieving our ambition of increasing the national GCSE average grade in both English language and maths by 0.5 is estimated to be worth £34 billion for the wider economy, for a single cohort in 2030. ”

Every school in a multi-academy trust - but free schools can start as single trusts

As expected, the White Paper includes plans for a fully trust-led system with a single regulatory approach. This will include trusts established by local authorities.

The government wants all schools to be in or moving towards multi-academy trusts (MATs) by 2030.

The White Paper says that the DfE knows that trusts typically start to develop central capacity when they have more than 10 schools.

It said it will not convert schools to standalone academies but will consider bids for high-quality free schools to open initially as standalone trusts.

It adds: “We expect that most trusts will be on a trajectory to either serve a minimum of 7,500 pupils or run at least 10 schools.”

The White Paper also says it will never expect a trust to expand before it is ready. It adds: “While there will be no maximum size of trust, we will limit the proportion of schools in the local area that can be run by an individual trust.”

A 32.5-hour week expected of mainstream schools, with Ofsted to check on this

The DfE announced on Saturday night that it would ask all schools to ensure they are  open for a 32.5-hour week .

The White Paper says it will “introduce a minimum expectation on the length of the school week of 32.5 hours (the current average) for all mainstream state-funded schools. We will expect all mainstream state-funded schools to work towards meeting this expectation as soon as possible and by September 2023 at the latest.”

It adds: “We will strongly encourage all state-funded schools to deliver two substantive morning and afternoon sessions each school day, with appropriate flexibility for religious observance. Thousands of schools, in every corner of the country, already deliver this length of week within existing budgets.

“Ofsted considers the overall quality of a school’s education, including the ambition of the curriculum. If Ofsted has concerns about the quality of education at a state-funded mainstream school and the school falls short of the government’s expectation on time, Ofsted will look at how they have come to that decision and what impact it has on the quality of education provided.”

A literacy and numeracy test for a sample of Year 9 students

As part of the DfE’s commitment to increasing the average grade at English and maths GCSE from 4.5 to 5, a new test of “national performance” will be introduced.

Today, as part of the White Paper, the DfE has announced a new test of literacy and numeracy that will be taken by a “sample of children in Year 9”.

This test will be used “to estimate performance at a national level” and will include a number of “digital activities”.

A new accountability regime for MATs

This summer, the government will launch a review looking at accountability and the regulation of MATs.

The department said it will consider how best to hold trusts accountable against a new strong trust definition “focused on the quality and inclusivity of the education they provide, how they improve schools and maintain their local identity, how they protect value for money for the taxpayer and how they develop their workforce”.

As previously announced, the government wants to move any school that gets two consecutive “requires improvement” judgements from Ofsted  into an MAT .

The DfE described this as a “significant step up” from the current requirement for maintained schools to be subject to academy orders when they are rated as “inadequate”.

The initial focus will be on schools in the 55  Education Investment Areas  announced earlier this year.

The government has said it will make £86 million available to grow and strengthen MATs over the next three years, with a particular focus on these Education Investment Areas.

Legislation on recording attendance

The DfE has said it will be introducing legislation to modernise how attendance is recorded, with a “national data solution” used to track attendance and provide a “safety net” for vulnerable pupils at risk of disappearing from school rolls.

Alongside this, new statutory expectations will be set out for local authority attendance services to help “severely absent” pupils get back to school.

And the Education Endowment Fund (EEF) and Youth Endowment Fund will also develop further attendance interventions for schools and new “voluntary standards” for attendance professionals.

The DfE also said today that, following the results of the February consultation on attendance, every school will be expected to publish a clear attendance policy.

Revising behaviour guidance

The department has said it will revise the Behaviour in Schools guidance and Suspension and Permanent Exclusion guidance. The consultation on proposed changes to these is due to close on 31 March.

The DfE has also committed to the launch of a new national behaviour survey in order to “better understand” the thoughts and feelings of parents, pupils and teachers on behaviour and wellbeing.

Reaction: ‘It’s a policy gimmick’

The White Paper has received a mixed reaction from senior leaders .

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, described it as “mechanistic and lacking in ambition” despite containing some “helpful and promising” measures.

He said: “Disappointingly, this White Paper lacks any big ideas for the future of the education system. The nearest it gets is its targets for improved results in English and maths by 2030, but the plan of how to achieve these targets is vague, and there does not appear to be very much in the way of funding to help schools deliver them.”

Mr Barton also criticised one of the main policy announcements in the paper, adding : “The Parent Pledge seems like a policy gimmick designed to grab headlines. In reality, any child who falls behind in English and maths will already receive timely and evidence-led support, and this is already communicated to parents via existing channels such as parents’ evenings.”

The White Paper also include a series of measures that have already been announced, including:

• Ofsted will inspect every school by 2025 , including the backlog of “outstanding” schools that haven’t been inspected for many years.
• At least £100 million to put the Education Endowment Foundation on a long-term footing.
• 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024.
• £30,000 starting salaries to attract and retain the best teachers.
• Payments to recruit and keep talented physics, chemistry, computing and maths teachers working in disadvantaged schools.
• A register for children not in school to make sure no child is lost from the system.
• Every school to have access to funded training for a senior mental health lead.
• Oak National Academy becoming a government body with sole focus on supporting teachers to deliver the very best lesson content.
• Up to 6 million tutoring courses by 2024.

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The Changes You Really Need to Know from the DfE’s Schools White Paper

On 28 March, the Department for Education outlined a raft of proposed reforms to education in England in the new Schools White Paper , titled ‘Opportunity for all: Strong schools with great teachers for your child’.

The Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi, has introduced the White Paper as the vehicle for his vision to raise standards, increase the support available to children who are struggling and, more generally, ‘give them the tools to lead a happy, fulfilled and successful life’.

Rather than any revolutions in education policy, the White Paper’s contents build on and expand current frameworks. Relatively cautious and incremental as they are, its proposals will still have a considerable impact on many facets of education in this country, from teacher training to behaviour management to academisation.  

These reforms seek to realise two ambitious topline targets for 2030:

•    That 90% of primary school children will achieve the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, with the percentage meeting the expecting standard in the worst performing areas increasing by a third.
•    That the national GCSE average grade in both English language and maths will increase to 5 .

At 68 pages of A4, the White Paper is no pamphlet. To help you quickly make sense of the changes on the way, we’ve pulled together the key points that educators and school leaders should be aware of.

Teacher training and development

The White Paper commits to ensuring that ‘by 2030, every child will be taught by an excellent teacher trained in the best-evidenced approaches’.

To achieve this, the DfE pledge to deliver 500,000 teacher training and professional development opportunities by 2024. On top of those included in previously-announced reforms to Initial Teacher Training and the Early Career Framework , the government will be funding scholarships for 150,000 NPQs. A new Leading Literacy NPQ is on the way in September 2022, with an NPQ for Early Years Leadership to come at some point after, while the DfE is ‘consulting’ on a new leadership level NPQ for SENCOs to replace the National Award in SEN Coordination.

The tentpole policy here is arguably the proposed Institute of Teaching , a ‘flagship teacher development provider, delivering cutting-edge training’ with degree-awarding powers. This new institution will deliver training across ‘at least’ four regional campuses.

To make teaching a more attractive career choice, the starter salary will be raised to £30,000. The government are also throwing money at shortages in certain subjects: modern languages graduates can look forward to a targeted scholarship, engineers will be eligible for a special ITT course to tempt them into teaching physics, while the Levelling Up Premium will provide up to £3,000 for STEM teachers to work in disadvantaged schools. 

Curriculum and examination

The White Paper promises to establish a new ‘arms-length’ curriculum body that will work with teachers to create free resources. These will be accessible by pupils and teachers through a ‘digital hub’. There will no change to the National Curriculum.

To gauge schools’ performances in core skills, a small sample of Year 9 pupils from each school will undergo a new literacy and numeracy test . Schools’ efforts to improve progress in these areas will be buttressed by dedicated English and maths hubs. 

Behaviour management, attendance and safeguarding 

Top of the list of the White Paper’s reforms in this area is a new National Behaviour Survey which will collect data on behaviour and attendance. Further details are yet to be confirmed.

To help schools ‘develop strong cultures that reduce poor behaviour’, teachers and leaders will also be given access to a fully-funded NPQ in Behaviour and Culture.

Schools should now expect safeguarding audits every three years, undertaken by Local Safeguarding Partnerships. 

Targeted support

The centrepiece of the White Paper is the DfE’s new ‘Parent Pledge’ , a promise to parents ‘from government, via schools, to famlies’ that any child who falls behind in English or maths will receive ‘timely and evidence-based support’ to catch up.

To deliver this, the DfE will continue to expand provision of the National Tutoring Programme , with its model of small-group, targeted intervention to become a ‘core academic option in the pupil premium menu’ by 2024. This will be made possible through access to a ‘vibrant tutoring market’. 

Academisation

One of the White Paper’s more noteworthy targets is that, by 2030, all children will be taught in a school within a multi academy trust ‘or [a school] with plans to join or form one’.

These trusts are ‘expect[ed]’ to serve at least 10 schools or 7,500 pupils. While no numerical limit will be imposed on trust sizes, there will be a cap placed on the proportion of schools any one trust can run in a particular area.

Local authorities will now be able to set up new multi academy trusts in underserved areas. In another first, good schools will potentially be allowed to move trusts ‘in exceptional circumstances’.

A consultation is expected ‘shortly’ on moving schools that have received two consecutive Ofsted ratings below ‘Good’ into trusts, starting in the DfE’s designated Education Investment Areas.

For some expert perspectives on academisation and other pressing topics in UK education, read the latest free report from our Education Advisory Board here . 

How Teaching Personnel can help you navigate these changes

While much of the White Paper’s contents was already announced or anticipated, its proposals create new requirements and responsibilities for schools and educators alike.

As the UK’s leading educational recruitment agency, we place tens of thousands of educators in positions at our 5,000-strong network of partner schools across England. Whether you’re an educator looking to explore the potentials of catch-up tutoring, or a school leader expanding their arsenal of targeted support, we’ll be here for opportunities and advice. All you have to do is get in touch . 

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Home / Publications & Research / School Performance, Admissions, & Capacity / White paper analysis: identifying the ‘strong’ trusts in Education Investment Areas

White paper analysis: identifying the ‘strong’ trusts in Education Investment Areas

On 28 March 2022 the Department for Education (DfE) published the white paper ‘Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child’ , setting out the government’s ambitions to ‘level up’ education across the country and making the case for a fully trust-led system.

Academisation has long been one of the government’s key approaches to raising standards in the areas that need it most. The recently published schools white paper announced the government’s intention that all schools in England will be in a strong multi-academy trust (MAT) or in the process of joining or forming one by 2030.

This pledge, which would see 10,000 primary schools and 700 secondary schools convert to academy-status over the next seven-and-a-half years, will be initially targeted in the 55 ‘Education Investment Areas’ that government has pledged to prioritise with attention and funding.  The government argues that these areas are ‘cold spots’ for literacy and numeracy outcomes that have the ‘most urgent need for the benefits that strong trusts can bring’.

DfE’s implementation plan, published at the end of May, confirmed that these areas will be the main focus in the first years of this reform, starting with schools who receive successive Ofsted judgements below Good.

Where these schools are not yet academies, the newly titled Regional Director (formerly Regional Schools Commissioner) will make a final decision on the academy trust they will join. Where an Inadequate or Requires Improvement school is already part of a trust which is judged as unable to deliver the necessary improvements, the academy will be rebrokered to a ‘stronger trust’.

There is growing need for a robust definition of an effective school group

The phrase ‘strong trust’ signals a quiet but significant shift in the government’s case for academisation. Research from across the sector has frequently found that academisation is no silver bullet to school improvement. Our recent report with the UCL Institute of Education focussed specifically on those schools that had consistently received Ofsted ratings below Good and found that academisation brought limited improvements to primary schools, in particular. 1

Our earlier studies have shown that there are many excellent high performing multi academy trusts, and there are also as many low performing trusts which are not delivering strong outcomes for their pupils. 2 Given this, DfE is now emphasising that it wants to support the high performing ‘strong trusts’ to expand, while creating new powers to tackle underperformance among the others.

These proposals therefore hinge on what exactly the government means by a ‘strong trust’.

We must be able to identify the most effective MATs, especially those most effective at delivering good outcomes for the most vulnerable pupils, so that we can be reassured the right ones are being supported to expand.

This means that the defining detail that lies behind the watchword ‘strong’ is crucial to the success of this reform. What do we mean by a ‘strong’ MAT? Even if we agree on a definition, how can we reliably know which MATs fit that definition?

The white paper sets out five principles of its definition. These cover high quality and inclusive education; school improvement; strategic governance; financial management; and finally, workforce. These five areas are set out with some initial detail on page 49 of the white paper.

We agree that ministers should consider a broad range of measures when it comes to trust effectiveness. Indeed, we have begun work on a major research programme to explore the features of effective school groups, defining effectiveness as spanning four domains: pupil outcomes; pupil inclusion; workforce sustainability; and financial efficiency. This multi-year project will, we hope, culminate in robust and credible measures of trust effectiveness across these four areas, and provide the evidence needed to identify the most effective multi-academy trusts in England. In addition, we will also codify the key practices behind those strong outcomes.

This research is ongoing, and we will be publishing various outputs throughout the rest of 2022. This includes a working paper on how to measure workforce sustainability in school groups, focused on retention of teachers and leaders; the first results measuring the inclusiveness of school groups; and early findings from our survey of operation decisions, strengths and challenges in school groups. You can read more about how your school can contribute to this research here .

Whilst this research is forthcoming, government reforms will already get underway throughout the coming academic year. There is an urgent need to understand:

• the volume and proportion of pupils in academy trusts in Education Investment Areas,
• which trusts are already established in these areas and,
• what their outcomes tell us about which trusts are in the best position to expand and which are most likely to deliver positive improvement for the most disadvantage pupils

In order to explore the strength of trusts in relation to attainment and pupil inclusion, we have used a range of sources including from our existing reports. Some of this data is historic (2017-2019): we use this data from existing reports to give an initial indication of trust performance in Education Investment Areas, whilst we are working on new and updated metrics which will be published over this year and the next. Due to the age of this data and the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, analysis of trust performance in these areas may not fully reflect the current situation for trusts in England. Analysis of trust size, pupil numbers, and school location reflects the latest Get Information About Schools (GIAS) data as of June 2022.

Comparing disadvantage gaps across EIAs and non-EIAs

To identify EIAs, the DfE has used a 3-year composite measure of pupil attainment at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 to assess the local authorities with the lowest attainment outcomes between 2017 and 2019.

This metric is a clear and widely understandable method of assessing areas in England with lower educational outcomes. However, it is not without limitations, particularly given that even a relatively small local authority can cover a wide range of localised circumstances. It may even result in areas with some of the worst outcomes for disadvantaged pupils not being selected as EIAs. If the low attainment of disadvantaged pupils is masked by significantly higher outcomes for their non-disadvantaged peers, the overall results for the local authority may mean it does not qualify as an EIA. This potential ‘masking’ of disadvantaged pupils with lower attainment risks these pupils falling further behind if their areas miss out on additional funding, a possibility which seems to run counter to the government’s ‘levelling-up’ agenda.

The 55 EIAs are a combination of: the lowest performing local authority areas; local authorities that include one the Department’s existing ‘Opportunity Areas’; and other areas already identified for support. The list of Priority Education Investment Areas is drawn from this group and comprises the very lowest performing areas that also have high levels of deprivation, alongside Opportunity Areas. In the case of the six Opportunity Areas that are local authority districts (as opposed to upper tier local authorities) it is the district that becomes a PEIA rather than the authority as a whole. 4

We compare the government’s selection of Education Investment Areas against the data on the disadvantage gap (a measure of the difference in attainment between disadvantaged pupils in a given local authority and all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally) at Key Stage 4. 5

Figure 1. Disadvantage GCSE grade gap in English and Maths at KS4 by local authority

Figure 1 shows that while EIAs and PEIAs dominate the local authorities with the largest disadvantage gap, there are a number of notable outliers. For example, Sheffield and Cheshire West and Chester have the 5 th and 8 th largest disadvantage gaps in England at Key Stage 4, respectively, yet have not been selected as EIAs. Conversely, Luton has been selected as an EIA despite having a smaller disadvantage gap than 54 local authorities not selected as EIAs.

This is of course a comparison of KS4 outcomes alone, whilst EIA selection criteria also cover KS2 outcomes. This analysis nevertheless raises questions as to government plans for closing the disadvantage gap nationally: areas with some of the largest gaps in the country will not be receiving the same focus and investment as others with similar size gaps for disadvantaged pupils.

Academisation in PEIAs

DfE’s case for establishing a fully trust-led system relies partly on the claim that schools benefit from being a part of a large trust of more than 10 schools or 7,500 pupils due to the scale of the trust improving financial stability, providing a well-supported workforce, and driving school improvement. The DfE expects most trusts to be on a trajectory to reach this size.

This raises the question: if improving educational outcomes can be driven by moving more schools into multi-academy trusts in EIAs, how do academisation rates in EIAs compare to the nation as a whole? In this section we will focus on PEIAs, as these areas will receive additional funding and therefore be more likely to targeted for more rapid academisation.

Figures 2.1 and 2.2 show the proportion of pupils already enrolled in a school belonging to a MAT in England in the primary and secondary phases respectively. 3 Across England, 36 per cent of primary school pupils are already educated within a multi-academy trust. In PEIAs, this proportion sits at 39 per cent.  In the secondary phase, 60 per cent of pupils nationwide are enrolled in a MAT school, compared to 68 per cent in PEIAs. Therefore, a greater than national proportion of pupils in PEIAs attend a school that is already part of a MAT, particularly secondary pupils. Nevertheless, PEIAs themselves vary greatly by this ‘MAT-educated rate’, with Nottingham among the highest in the country at 94 per cent of secondary phase pupils attending MAT schools, whereas Liverpool is among the lowest at just 28 per cent.

The average size of a MAT nationwide stands at 6.4 schools, while this average is much higher for trusts operating in PEIAs at 10.5. Similarly, the average PEIA trust has a higher total number of pupils at 4,700 pupils, compared to the nationwide average total number of pupils for trusts of 2,750. It would appear therefore that, in Priority Education Investment Areas, the average MAT is already operating at DfE’s preferred scale of 10 schools or more.

Figure 2.1. Proportion of primary phase pupils in school belonging to a MAT by local authority, England 2022

Figure 2.2. Proportion of secondary phase pupils in schools belonging to a MAT by local authority, England 2022

Figure 2.3. Proportion of secondary pupils in LA maintained schools and academy trusts by trust size (Priority Education Investment Areas)

In summary, academisation is well underway in most Priority Education Investment Areas, and more secondary pupils in these areas attend a school in a MAT than the national average. However, most pupils who attend academies are in trusts of fewer than ten schools. Furthermore, there remain some PEIAs with lower levels of academisation. In Liverpool and Tameside, more than 50 per cent of secondary pupils attend an LA-maintained school, and Liverpool, Rochdale and Tameside currently have no large trusts operating in their areas. This snapshot reflects the national picture in micro-scale: a mixed and fragmented system. It seems apt that the government’s implementation plan states that Regional Directors will work with each local authority using Area Based Commissioning to address local needs, given the different states of academisation in each area. Capacity is only one question, however, and quality is another question which we address in the next section.

Trust outcomes in EIAs

If outcomes are to improve for pupils in EIAs by their schools joining larger stronger MATs, it becomes crucial to identify which MATs are already operating at scale in EIAs, and how they are currently performing.

As outlined above, we are currently developing robust and up-to-date metrics of trust performance.

In the meantime, we turn to our historic publications for initial indications of trust performance in EIAs. Our existing publications allow us to explore school improvement and a measure of pupil inclusion known as ‘unexplained exits’.

This section draws specifically on two publications: ‘School Performance in Academy Chains and Local Authorities – 2017’ 2 , published 2018, and ‘Unexplained pupil exits from schools’ 6 , published 2019. Both reports use data from the National Pupil Database and School Census for pupils finishing KS4 in 2016/17.

These are existing published measures, but for the first time we link trust-level outcomes together to explore how multiple measures of trust effectiveness can help us identify the most effective MATs.

To assess school improvement, we use a contextualised improvement measure of Key Stage 4 attainment that accounts for the range of pupil-level characteristics that are known to impact attainment.

For pupil inclusion, our measure is the average termly rate of unexplained exits. By unexplained exits, we mean exits from a school to either another school, alternative provision or an unknown destination, where those exits do not appear to be driven by families or a formal exclusion. Our research in this area has found that larger MATs (those with at least ten schools with secondary pupils) all have above average rates of unexplained exits. Note that, unlike the KS4 improvement measure, this measure does not control for underlying pupil characteristics such as deprivation. This is because to contextualise this measure of exclusion would be to expect a different (higher) level of exclusion for disadvantaged pupils as the norm, which does not fit with principles of inclusion.

Data used in this section is from academic year 2016/17 and trust membership and performance may now be substantially different. We therefore use these figures as indicators only. DfE’s metric for selecting EIAs tracks attainment from 2017-2019, and so trust performance in 2016/17 will have contributed to the selection of these areas. In addition, while we use these metrics to understand trust performance within Education Investment Areas, it should be noted that trust metrics also include results from schools located outsides of these areas. Our rationale is that trusts already working in education investment areas are those most likely to expand. Assessing the performance of all their schools, particularly when this performance is contextualised for the characteristics of the pupils attending those schools, is a useful insight into the overall effectiveness of these trusts.

Figure 3.1. Key Stage 4 performance of academy trusts operating in Priority Education Investment Areas by local authority

Figure 3.1 presents 2017 KS4 contextualised improvement for all trusts currently working in each of the Priority Investment Areas for which data is available. Each point represents a trust (some trusts are operating in multiple local authorities), with the vertical lines to illustrate the range of KS4 contextualised improvement. The figure shows that the majority of trusts that are working in PEIAs did in fact improve their Key Stage 4 attainment results between 2015 and 2017. However, not all trusts operating in PEIAs succeeded in improving attainment during this time – eight of the 18 local authority PEIAs contain trusts with a negative contextualised improvement measure.

It should be noted that this improvement is calculated across all schools in the trust, and not just those located in EIAs. Whilst we do not currently have data to isolate how trusts have driven improvement specifically within these investment areas, this trust-wide data provides insight into the overall effectiveness of the trusts which are most likely to be the first to expand into these areas. The improvement measure is contextualised for underlying pupil characteristics, meaning we are accounting for the some of the key differences between the different local areas these trusts are operating across.

This therefore gives an indication which Priority Education Investment Areas already have local trusts which are delivering strong school improvement (for example Knowsley, Middlesbrough and Doncaster), and which areas may not yet have strong candidates for trust expansion (such as Hartlepool and Rochdale, though there may now be some high performing trusts in these areas which are not included in our data).

Figure 3.2. Key Stage 4 performance against average termly exit rate per cent of trusts in England

Figure 3.2 maps the Key Stage 4 attainment results of all trusts in England where data is available against their average termly unexplained exit rate. The quadrant lines signify the national average: 0.0 for contextual improvement, and 1 per cent rate of termly unexplained exits.

Overall, there appears to be a weak positive correlation between the termly rate of unexplained exits and contextualised improvement at KS4. This is consistent with the fact that KS4 performance is measured on those pupils who are in the trust at the end of KS4, and excludes the attainment of pupils who have exited the school, whether due to permanent exclusion or an unexplained exit, and we know these pupils tend to be lower achieving. The majority of trusts have average termly unexplained exit rates equal to the national average. EIA trusts appear to be roughly in step with trusts nationwide, with few outliers in either attainment or exit rates.

There are four trusts, all of which operate in EIAs, which have above-average improvement and below-average termly unexplained exit rates. Based on these outcomes, these trusts appear to be the better candidates for discussing expansion or sharing best practice with other trusts. Nevertheless, these are just two measures of performance, and a greater breadth of information is needed before making conclusions about high performance or inclusivity. For example, it is important to looked at both unexplained exits and a trust’s rate of permanent exclusions, as those with lower rates of unexplained exits may still have higher rates of permanent exclusions.

Conversely, there are five trusts, three of which operate in an EIA, with above-average improvement but which also have higher-than-average termly rates. By just looking at pupil outcomes these may appear to be high-performing trusts, but coupling these outcomes with their unexplained exits data raises questions around inclusion that should be addressed if there is possibility of expanding these trusts.

Overall, this small snapshot of data on trust performance demonstrates the importance of looking across multiple measures, and particularly looking beyond pupil attainment to consider pupil inclusion and unexplained exits. This is exactly what DfE intends to do, and they must ensure they use robust measures and quality evidence to put their definition of a strong trust into practice, and particularly that they deliver on the commitment to valuing inclusion as well as attainment.

Given the strong presence of large MATs already operating in PEIAs, and the high level of academisation already underway in these areas, policy makers must be particularly discerning in choosing which MATs to expand across England. In addition, these decisions must also carefully consider the levels of disadvantage and deprivation in these schools and the areas they operate to ensure funding is available for the areas most in need of support.

To be clear, we would not suggest that these metrics should be used for accountability, or as a blunt instrument for decision making. They are objective evidence which should inform discussion among policymakers, identifying areas where trusts might support others, areas where trusts need to demonstrate improvement before expanding, and areas where trusts need stronger government support for improvement.

The reforms contained in the white paper will undoubtedly leave their mark on England’s school system, as MATs expand and merge to become even more prominent players in improving educational standards. It is by no means a given that MAT expansion will raise educational standards, but a deep understanding of which are the best MATs and what sets them apart from the rest will improve the chances of delivering on the white paper’s promises.

• Education Policy Institute, UCL Institute of Education, “‘Stuck’ schools: Can below good Ofsted inspections prevent sustainable improvement?”, published June 2022.
• Education Policy Institute, ‘School Performance in Academy Chains and Local Authorities – 2017’ , published 2018.
• Get Information About Schools, Downloaded May 2022, percentage of all pupils (maintained mainstream) attending schools flagged as supported by a multi academy trust.
• Department for Education, ‘Priority Education Investment Areas – selection methodology’ , published 2022.
• Education Policy Institute, ‘ Covid-19 and Disadvantage gaps in England 2020’, published 2022.
• Education Policy Institute, ‘Unexplained pupil exits from schools ’, published 2019.

Bobbie Mills

Robbie Cruikshanks

• Learning Link

NGA publish summary sheets on the schools white paper and green paper

NGA has produced information sheets covering the government’s schools white paper and the long-awaited green paper, released on 28 March 2022.

These information sheets provide boards with an overview of the proposals that have been set out in the papers, so that governing boards know what to expect for the future of the education system. Boards may also want to share the information sheets with school leaders as summary documents to refer to.

Download Schools white paper summary (PDF)

Download SEND green paper summary (PDF)

The white paper, ‘Opportunity for all: Strong schools with great teachers for your child’ sets out the government’s vision for the future of education which includes:

• a range of programmes for teacher development and recruitment
• additional support for schools to secure the fundamentals of behaviour, attendance and wellbeing for all
• various interventions to target support to those who need it most
• introducing a fully trust- led system with a singular regulatory body

Read NGA’s comment on the white paper

The green paper, 'SEND review, Right Support, Right Place, Right Time' shares the findings from the government’s SEND review, which have shaped the proposals to improve education for children and young people with SEND and in alternative provision (AP). The proposals include:

• establishing a single national SEND and AP system that sets clear standards for the provision that children and young people should expect to receive
• strengthened accountabilities and investment that will help to deliver real change for children, young people and their families
• creating a single national system that has high aspirations and ambitions for children and young people with SEND and those in AP, which is financially sustainable

Read NGA’s comment on the green paper

Blog The Education Hub

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/05/12/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-schools-bill/

Everything you need to know about the Schools Bill

The new Schools Bill announced this week in the Queen’s speech will underpin the government’s ambition for every child to receive a world-class education, no matter where in the country they live.

Below is everything you need to know about the important new legislation.

What is the Schools Bill?

A bill is a proposal for a new law that is presented for debate before Parliament.

Through the new Schools Bill, the government will raise education standards across the country via a range of measures including supporting schools to join strong, multi-academy trusts, introducing registers for children not in school and giving Ofsted more powers to crack down on unregistered schools operating illegally.

How is it different from the Schools White Paper?

White Papers are policy documents produced by the Government that set out their proposals for future policy change, including through legislation.

The Schools White Paper set out our long-term vision for a school system that helps every child to fulfil their potential by ensuring they receive the right support, in the right place, at the right time – founded on achieving world-class literacy and numeracy.

The Schools Bill provides the legislation required to make this vision a reality. It delivers the primary legislation needed to strengthen the school system, as well as essential measures to keep children safe. The White Paper also sets out a wide-range of non-legislative steps to realise this ambition, such as the Parent Pledge, a new curriculum body and Education Investment Areas.

Why is becoming an academy so important?

We have a decade of evidence that academy trusts can transform underperforming schools.

We want all schools to be part of a strong academy trust so they can benefit from the trust’s support in everything from teacher training, curriculum, financial planning and inclusivity towards children with additional needs, to excellent behaviour and attendance cultures. This lets schools focus on what parents and children want and need – great teaching for every child.

You can find out more about what an academy is and its benefits here .

How are you changing school funding?

This bill also delivers on the government’s commitment to move to a direct National Funding Formula, increasing fairness by making sure every school receives funding on the same basis, wherever it is in the country.

This is all backed by huge government investment – core school funding will rise by £4 billion in 2022/23 compared with 2021/22, which represents a 7% increase per pupil.

Making sure that revenue funding is distributed fairly is a complicated issue. Every child, school and area is different and it means the funding system has to reflect that. For example, some pupils will be eligible for free school meals, or will have other additional needs that can cost schools more to meet

That’s why we have a national funding formula to make sure schools are funded fairly.

What are you doing about attendance?

Face-to-face education is of paramount importance for children’s academic, social and emotional wellbeing.

We’ve carried out a consultation – which means we’ve been speaking to parents, teachers, local authorities, and others – about how we can help pupils overcome whatever is stopping them from going to school regularly.

As part of the bill, we are introducing legislation to bring into force new statutory guidance on attendance, including a requirement for every school to publish a clear attendance policy to improve support.

By setting clear expectations for staff, pupils, and parents they will know what processes should be followed in cases of absence and what support should be offered. For parents this should result in greater consistency and improved, earlier support where required.

We will also make it easier for schools to understand individual attendance patterns and for trusts, local authorities and DfE to identify problems more quickly.

How will registers of children not in school help?

While the vast majority of home educating parents do an excellent job, it’s important that home education doesn’t result in children dropping off the radar and becoming vulnerable to poor standards of education or risks to their safety and wellbeing.

The creation of local authority administered registers for children not in school will allow us to support local authorities to make sure they know where every child is being educated, that it is of the right quality, and that support is offered to home educating families.

What are you doing about unregistered schools?

The bill, published today (Thursday 12 May), includes new powers for Ofsted to gather evidence which will support prosecutions against those running unregistered, unlawful independent schools and registered independent schools which are not meeting the required standards.

Changes are being made to the registration requirements for independent schools so that more settings which provide education to children on a full-time basis need to register as independent schools and meet the standards. This change follows the consultation on this topic, the Government response to which is published here.

These changes make it easier to identify and act against educational settings which are ignoring the Department’s rules and regulations. Through ensuring that more children are receiving their education in regulated settings which are subject to regular inspection is an important safeguarding measure which is intended to keep children safe.

How are you expanding the Teaching Regulation Agency’s powers and why?

The aims of the teacher misconduct arrangements for regulating the teaching profession are to protect children and young people, to help maintain public confidence in the teaching profession, and to uphold proper standards of conduct.

It is important that the teacher misconduct regime keeps in step with current policy and practice, so we are proposing changes to the teacher misconduct regime to ensure that it can continue to operate efficiently and effectively.

Changes to teacher misconduct legislation will expand the remit of the Teaching Regulation Agency, enabling it to consider serious misconduct and prohibit unsuitable teachers from the profession, regardless of whether they were teaching at the time of their misconduct, and across a broader range of education settings.

The changes will also enable the Teaching Regulation Agency to consider referrals of serious misconduct uncovered by DfE officials, in the course of their normal duties, without the need for an external referral.

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The schools white paper policy tracker: What’s still left?

Survived, delivered, died? Schools Week has attempted to find out updates on each of the 42 main, new policies in last year's white paper

John Dickens

10 Feb 2023, 5:00

More from this author

Five education secretaries and one scrapped schools bill later, here’s what we could find out about what remains of the government’s ‘Opportunity for All’ white paper . John Dickens reports …

The two ‘ambitions’

Policy: By 2030, 90 per cent of primary pupils will meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, up from 65 per cent in 2019.

Progress: Ministers are even further away from when they started at key stage 2, with the percentage of children leaving primary at the expected standard falling to 59 per cent last year.

Policy: An “ambition” to increase the national GCSE average grade in English language and maths from 4.5 in 2019, to 5 by 2030.

Progress: The allowance of some grade inflation last year led to the average maths GCSE score rising from 4.53 in 2019 to 4.72, while the average English grade rose from 4.96 to 5.17.

A true comparison will not be possible until at least 2024, when grade inflation is expected to be eradicated.

A report last week by the National Audit Office told ministers to “further develop” their approach to monitoring progress as no milestones had been set.

The new policies

Chapter 1: an excellent teacher for every child.

1. Consult on leadership NPQ for SENCOs

DELAYED: Tied up in the delayed SEND review .

2. Scholarships for language graduates

DELIVERED: 175 scholarships worth £27,000 are available. BUT this support was reinstated after it was axed a few years ago.

3. ITT course to get engineers teaching physics

DELIVERED: Trialled early last year then rolled out in October.

4. Digital service to recognise international teaching qualifications and relocation premium

ON TRACK: Tender exploring “future contract” for both published in August. Digital service launched this month; relocation payment “due to launch” early this year.

Chapter 2: Delivering high standards of curriculum, behaviour and attendance

5. Literacy and numeracy sample test for year 9s

ON TRACK: Standards and Testing Agency is “working on the development of the new tests”.

6. Legislation to “modernise” attendance rules

SCRAPPED: The government has not responded to a consultation that closed last July.

7. ‘National data solution’ for attendance tracking

DELIVERED: Dashboard launched in September for schools to compare attendance, 14,000 schools signed up.

8. Legislate for attendance statutory guidance

SCRAPPED: Non-statutory guidance published in May with “expectation” on schools to publish their policy .

9. Legislation to increase Ofsted’s powers to inspect illegal schools

SCRAPPED*: Part of axed schools bill, but government has suggested it will still try to legislate.

10. Expectation that all mainstream schools run a 32.5-hour week by September

DELAYED: No sign of “detailed guidance and case studies” promised by summer 2022. DfE “expects” schools to “work towards meeting this expectation as soon as possible”.

11. Network of modern foreign language hubs from 2023

ON TRACK: Tender launched in November for new centre of excellence , with up to 25 school hubs, over three years. Centre supposed to launch March 3.

12. Updated sport education plan in 2022

DELAYED: Missed pledge, but DfE said it is “progressing”.

13. Updated music education plan in 2022

DELIVERED: National music plan published last June .

14. New cultural education plan in 2023

ON TRACK: No plan yet, but DfE said it is “progressing”.

15. Careers programme for primary schools in areas of disadvantage

DELIVERED: Two-year, £2.6 million scheme to reach 600,000 pupils in 2,200 primaries underway .

16. Turn Oak Academy into curriculum quango

DELIVERED: Launched with a reduced curriculum offer in September .

Chapter 3: Target support for every child who needs it

17. Legislate for not-in-school register

SCRAPPED*: Part of axed schools bill. Gillian Keegan told MPs in December she remained “committed” to the register, but could not “commit to dates or times”.

18. Ofsted will hold schools to account for a new “parent pledge”

UNCLEAR: Schools were told to budget to meet the pledge this year , but nothing further published. DfE said an update “in due course”.

Progress on white paper ‘parent pledge’ goes backwards

19. Catch-up ‘targeted support’ guidance

UNCLEAR: Ofsted has produced reports on catch-up , but publication of guidance is down to the DfE, the watchdog said.

20. Tutoring to become a “core academic option” funded by the pupil premium and a “vibrant tutoring market” from 2024

ON TRACK: This is still the plan.

21. At least £100 million to fund the Education Endowment Foundation

DELIVERED: £137 million grant announced in September to fund the evidence broker organisation for another 10 years.

Chapter 4: A stronger and fairer system

22. All schools to be in a MAT or have plans to join one by 2030

SCRAPPED: Policy has been dropped. See our exclusive story here .

23. Most trusts to work towards serving at least 10 schools or 7,500 pupils

SCRAPPED: Linked to above. Instead officials are “exploring how to further support the growth of MATs” through the academy regulation review.

24. The proportion of schools a trust can run in a particular area will be capped

UNCLEAR: DfE would only say “work is proceeding” through its regulatory review.

25. Review to consider new intervention powers and “expectations” of what makes a good trust

DELAYED: Launched in June , the academies regulation and commissioning review missed a December deadline to publish its report. Repurposed slightly after schools bill ditched, but still set to advise on things such as defining a “strong trust” and how regulation should work.

26. Statutory duties for trusts to work with other bodies, and requirement to follow the admissions code

SCRAPPED: Part of axed schools bill

27. Transparency for MAT top-slicing

ON TRACK: DfE and ESFA “exploring how best to achieve greater financial transparency” over MATs pooling and top-slicing funding.

28. Right for good schools to request to move trust in “exceptional circumstances”

UNCLEAR: DfE again punted this back to the academy regulation review.

29. £86 million in trust capacity funding

DELIVERED: Schools were invited to submit bids in October .

30. Options for extra financial support for dioceses to launch trusts

UNCLEAR: A pilot scheme was run, but has not been rolled out further.

31. New CEO development scheme

DELAYED: Expert group came up with development framework. Was expected in January.

32. Powers to force “coasting” schools to convert or change trusts

DELIVERED: First letters published last year.

33. Regional schools commissioners rebranded as regional directors

DELIVERED: Launched in September .

34. £40 million for 24 priority education investment areas

ON TRACK: Announced in March , but no details on when funding will be handed out.

35. Those areas targeted for new academically focused 16-19 free schools

DELIVERED: At least six “elite” sixth forms vying to be among next wave of 15 free schools.

36. Legislation to protect faith schools’ freedoms and protections when converting

SCRAPPED*: Part of axed schools bill. Keegan told MPs in December this was something she would prioritise but cannot “completely confirm is going to happen”.

37. Pledge to ensure selective schools are “secure” in MATs

SCRAPPED: A future projects document published by the DfE on Friday listed “appointment of a supplier to administer the grammar school ballots system” from September. It later said it was published in error.

38. All trusts to have local governance arrangements for their schools

UNCLEAR: Schools Week understands informal conversations have been held, but no recent progress.

DfE ditches two key academy proposals

39. Powers for councils to force trusts to admit children and object to published admission numbers

40. Councils will be able to launch spin-off MATs

SCRAPPED: Schools Week understands it has been canned. Read our story here .

41. Powers to mass convert all maintained schools in an area at a council’s request

42. New system of proactive assurance with safeguarding audits every three years

ON TRACK: DfE said it will consult on Working Together guidance in spring to “explore…whether to set out an expectation around safeguarding audits”.

* While part of the axed schools bill, government has said it will prioritise these policies if it has time to legislate

Continue the conversation, share this article on social media

More from this theme.

Council-run academy trusts get the green light in schools white paper

DfE also to set out new maths and English target for secondary schools

Freddie Whittaker

Schools ‘asked to offer’ 32.5-hour week by 2023 – and Ofsted will check

Expectation is equivalent to a six and a half hour day, which most schools already provide

The schools resisting ministers’ all-academy land ambitions

Schools Week looks at the areas that have thwarted ministers’ decade-long academisation drive

Government to set 2030 target for all schools to become academies

But white paper is likely to kick decision on forced academisation down the road

Free school charity: All-MAT sector would mean ‘death’ of innovation

Ministers' favoured institutions won't be replicated if white paper scraps standalone academies, charity warns

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Ministers 'open to slightly different models of partnership' as schools white paper looms

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Schools white paper 2022: summary

Find out about upcoming and potential policy changes and what they mean for your school. plans include new attainment targets in literacy and numeracy, an academy-led education system and a drive to increase attendance., plans for an academy-led system.

• New attainment targets
• Attainment interventions
• Ofsted inspections
• New expectations on attendance
• Changes to behaviour guidance 
• CPD and leadership opportunities
• Academy governance: changes

By 2030, all schools will be part of a multi-academy trust (MAT) or will have plans to join or form one. 

There are no current measures to force well-performing schools to become academies.

Find out how academy governance works , and what questions you should ask if your school is planning to join an existing MAT  or form a new one .

New statutory interventions for schools consistently rated less than 'good'

From September 2022 , maintained schools and academies with 2 or more consecutive Ofsted ratings below 'good' will be in the scope of intervention powers to join an academy trust or change trusts. These powers will initially focus on EIAs, though the plan is that they'll apply nationally.

'Area-based

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• Monitoring pupil progress
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Also in " Government policies & legislation "

• Changes in education 2023/2024
• Gender pay gap reporting: requirements
• Quick guide to governance legislation
• Schools white paper 2022: where are we now?
• SEND and AP improvement plan: summary
• Sustainability and climate change: summary of the DfE's strategy

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• Education, training and skills

Implementing school system reform in 2022 to 2023

This implementation plan outlines the next steps following the schools white paper.

Applies to England

PDF , 2.34 MB , 23 pages

This document outlines immediate next steps towards the ambition for all schools to be in a strong multi-academy trust, or with plans to join or form one, by 2030.

It focuses primarily on academic year 2022 to 2023 and is designed to help schools, trusts, local authorities, and where applicable dioceses or other faith bodies, think about what they should do next.

You can also read the Local authority established MATs: registration of interest document.

Updated 'Implementing School System Reform in 22/23' to include links to the local authority multi-academy trusts registration of interests.

First published.

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