Academy safeguarding confusion risks pupil welfare, MPs warn

Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are responsible for monitoring safeguarding arrangements for children in all schools, including academies, but an inquiry by the public accounts committee suggests that the Department for Education’s (DfE) increasing focus on autonomy is confusing the issue.

In its Schools Oversight and Intervention inquiry report, the committee cites a National Audit Office survey which found that, out of 87 local authorities, 13 said they did not monitor academies’ safeguarding arrangements.

A further 13 said they would not intervene directly in an academy if they had concerns about pupil safety.

The committee also found that confusion over the respective roles of councils and regional school commissioners is causing “significant gaps” in the DfE’s knowledge of the performance of individual schools.

It has warned that the gaps, together with “weak” oversight arrangements, can mask problems – like those found during the Trojan Horse inquiry into allegations of extremism in schools in Birmingham last year – until “serious damage” has been done.