Education union raises questions over DfE academy push

The union had called in the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR) to investigate evidence used by the government to reach its decision to bring in a fully trust-led school system.

In backing many of the union’s concerns around transparency and the quality of data used, the regulator has now written to the DfE’s chief data officer and chief statistician Neil McIvor asking for more clarity.

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In a letter to McIvor, the OSR’s director general for regulation Ed Humpherson has confirmed that the regulator has “identified issues around the transparency” and quality of data used in the government’s Case for a fully trust-led system, which was published alongside its education white paper Opportunity for all.  

“It is not always possible to identify the exact data that has been used to produce analysis in the document,” Humpherson has told the DfE.

He added that “Insufficient information has been included on the methodologies used to produce” statistics used by the government.

In addition, Humpherson has warned the DfE that “the limited transparency” around the data used makes it difficult for the figures to be replicated so that people can “draw their own conclusions”.

The OSR’s move to question the DfE, around the quality of evidence used, has been welcomed by NEU joint general secretary Mary Bousted.

“The government claims that its plan to force all schools to join a multi-academy trust is evidence led,” she said.

“However, after months of preparation the document it came up with was so flawed that the Office for Statistics Regulation have agreed with the NEU’s complaint that the report is misleading.

“This shows that there is no evidence that forcing all schools to join a multi-academy trust will improve schools. It is time for Nadhim Zahawi to withdraw his plan, which is now exposed as wholly ideological, and get back to what teachers and parents actually want the government to focus on.

“The white paper as it stands has nothing to say on the most urgent matters facing education."

The DfE has this week updated its Case for a fully trust led system document to refer to the data tables and methodology used.

This is the second update of the document, which was released on 28 March and was updated a day later to include information on the methodology used for measuring average GCSE grades in English and maths.

The DfE’s education white paper includes a target for nine in ten children leaving primary school to reach expected standards of reading, writing and maths by 2030.