A number of local authorities have raised concerns around issues associated with a more autonomous school system linked to rising numbers of academies and the introduction of free schools.
But, speaking at the Association of Director’s of Children’s Services conference in Manchester, a Department for Education (DfE) official said action to address any issues would not be immediate.
Graham Archer, deputy director of the supporting delivery group at the DfE, said action is unlikely before the ministerial advisory group has discussed a recent report that was conducted on behalf of the Local Government Association (LGA) and Department for Education.
He said the feeling among ministers is that the emerging system is not yet “mature” and government will wait to see how the relationship between local authorities and schools develops, prior to taking action.
“Ministers are inclined to let things run a bit and see what emerges,” Archer said.
“I don’t think they are people who believe dictating things from the centre or the town hall is the right way of getting solutions.
“On the other hand I don’t think they are naïve enough to think things can be left to run and they will be alright forever.”
Archer said the report published last month by the ISOS Partnership on behalf of the government and LGA had highlighted a number of valid concerns and created a debate about what the role of councils should be in the future.
He said decisions will be made as a result of dialogue with local authorities “over a period of time”.
Concerns around the role of councils in the education system include securing the right number of school places, monitoring and addressing underperformance and how best to support vulnerable children.
Last month, the former director-general of standards at the Department for Education (DfE) Jon Coles suggested that academies should eventually be accountable to councils, rather than central government.
