Regional schools commissioners ‘lack accountability and transparency’

The chairman of Parliament’s Education Select Committee has warned that the current system of overseeing academies needs to be overhauled.

His criticism comes as the committee publishes a new report into the Government’s creation of regional school commissioners, who are responsible for decision-making over academies.

The position of commissioners has become increasingly important as the number of schools outside local authority control continues to grow, but the committee believes aspects of the role need clarifying.

With more than 5,000 schools in England having now converted to academies, the system for monitoring them needs reassessment, their report argue.

The report also calls for improvements to the commissioners’ transparency, accountability and working relationships.

“They’re doing a necessary job, but the oversight system is now confused, fragmented, and lacking in transparency,” said the committee’s chairman Neil Carmichael.

“It’s hardly surprising that most people have never heard of RSCs, and even those who have are unclear about their role. RSCs are a product of the Department’s ‘acting first, thinking later’ approach when it comes to big changes in the schools landscape.”

He added: “The [Department for Education] needs to take a long hard look at this picture once the number of academies stabilises, and design a more coherent system for the future which ensures proper accountability for schools.”

A DfE spokesman said: “Regional schools commissioners are using their local knowledge to hold schools to account and thanks to that expertise, and the support of headteacher boards, they are able to take swift and targeted action to tackle underperformance rather than schools being left to stagnate under local authority control.”