Damian Hinds quizzed by Select Committee on funding
Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds was questioned by the Education Select Committee this week on a range of issues including funding, MAT accountability and the Careers and Enterprise Company. We take a look at what he had to say on these three areas:
We don’t know how much funding the DfE is looking for in the Spending Review.
Committee Chairman Robert Halfon asked Mr Hinds several times how much money he believed the Department for Education needs as the government approaches the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
He pointed out that the Health and Defence Secretaries had been clear about how much money they thought was necessary and suggested that the DfE should have some kind of rough figure in mind at the very least.
Mr Hinds pointed out that the spending review hadn’t started yet. He said he was waiting for the analyses that the process would provide.
Mr Hinds continued: “Obviously as we come up to the spending review, all spending departments will be making their case. I’ll be making our case. We’ll be keen for as much stability, and as I say, forward visibility, as possible.”
Improving MAT accountability is on the Secretary of State’s agenda
Trudy Harrison MP highlighted the failings of the Bright Tribe trust in the running of Whitehaven Academy in her constituency and asked Mr Hinds whether he thought multi-academy trusts should be inspected by Ofsted.
Mr Hinds didn’t give a clear response but indicated that MAT accountability is an area he is considering.
He said: “Our system has evolved. Multi-academy trusts have a much bigger role and I think it’s right that as our system evolves and changes you take stock and you think about how transparency and accountability and all those things – how are they working?
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say with multi-academy trusts…to want a way to assess and to be clear to parents and others the effectiveness of different academy trusts.
“How do you do that? I think it would be wrong to come to an immediate decision. I will work with the sector to understand what is the best way to go about it and which body or bodies are best placed to make those assessments.”
MPs are still concerned about transparency at the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC).
At last month’s hearing Chair Robert Halfon told the CEC chairman he could not understand why the company did not have “proper measurements” to demonstrate its effectiveness.
In this week’s session Mr Halfon asked Mr Hinds: “Do you think it’s right that the board does not publish any minutes despite the fact that they are almost exclusively funded by you. There is no transparency. Is it right or wrong?”
Mr Hinds said he is due to meet with the Careers and Enterprise Company and he took the committee’s findings seriously, stating “I haven’t spoken to them about that yet. That is something that we will talk about so I will have to suspend judgement on that if I may.”