Department officials and Ministers continue to meet regularly with education and childcare sector leaders, unions and other representative bodies to discuss a wide range of early years, school, further education and higher education policy issues.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education meets with head teachers of schools to discuss issues including funding regularly. Our records show that on average, from February 2018 to date, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has met nine head teachers each month. This figure includes head teachers that he has met in formal meetings, visits and reference groups, but does not include the many other occasions where my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has met head teachers in this time, including meetings, roundtable discussions, conferences, and events, nor does it reflect the other teachers and school staff he will have met during visits and meetings, so the actual figure is likely to be much higher.

Ministers and officials from the Department regularly meet head teachers and representatives of head teachers, including the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the primary head teacher reference group, and the secondary head teacher reference group. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education attended NAHT’s annual conference in May 2018, ASCL’s national conference in March 2018 and again last week. Department officials meet all the head teacher unions every month. School funding is frequently discussed as part of these meetings. Additionally, all education ministers regularly visit schools and spend time with head teachers and staff.

The Department recognises the pressures that parts of the school system are facing. The Government continues to invest in the school system, with school funding at a record high. The Department is also providing the sector with more than half a billion pounds to fund teacher pay increases. Alongside this, the Department will be putting a strong case to Her Majesty's Treasury for the next spending review.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State meets regularly with head teachers of schools to discuss issues including funding.

Officials from the Department have met with head teachers from across the country to discuss school funding, as part of our consultation on a schools and high needs national formulae.

We received over 25,000 responses to the consultation. We are grateful to all those who expressed their views on school funding and the proposed formula as part of this process. We will publish the response to the consultation in due course.

The core schools budget has been protected in real terms since 2010 and will be £41bn in 2017-18. We recognise, nevertheless, that schools are facing cost pressures and we will continue to provide support to help them use their funding in cost effective ways. This includes tools, information and guidance to support improved financial health and efficiency in schools, including School Workforce Planning Guidance to help schools make well-informed decisions about their staff structures. These can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/schools-financial-health-and-efficiency.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Department may become aware of financial irregularities in an academy trust through the Education Funding Agency’s annual programme of assurance work or from allegations it receives. We review these, follow up on a case by case basis and maintain a record of verdicts or judgments made by a court. As stated in the answer to Question 55974, we know of one case where a court has found a head teacher or board member guilty of (responsible for) financial irregularity at an academy trust.

The Department knows of one case at an academy trust which resulted in a prosecution and conviction. This involved the conviction of the head teacher and two other board members for fraud as part of the same trial. The Department is not aware of other court judgments where head teachers or board members have been found to be responsible for financial irregularities at an academy trust.

The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

The Department’s White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere stated that we would launch an Excellence in Leadership Fund to encourage the best Multi-Academy Trusts and other providers to develop innovative ways of boosting leadership, particularly in areas of most need. The Fund will help to better support schools to develop a strong and diverse set of school and system leaders, through specific activity aimed at groups that are still under-represented in leadership positions. Further information about the timing and budget for the Excellence in Leadership Fund will be made available in due course.

Both Revenue Support Grant and retained business rates, the two local authority funding streams directly included within the Local Government Finance Settlement, are unringfenced, therefore, authorities can use them to fund any service, provided they meet their statutory duties. It is up to authorities to decide how to set their budgets, taking into account local priorities.

The evaluation report of the virtual school head (VSH) pilots was published in August 2009 and can be viewed from the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/222044/DCSF-RR144.pdf

In March 2010 the Department published a VSH toolkit based on the experiences of the pilots and other local authorities that had developed services using the virtual school model. The toolkit can be viewed from the following link:

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20131027134109/http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/v/virtual%20school%20head%20toolkit.pdf

A group of virtual school heads are currently revising the toolkit.

A copy of the evaluation report and the original toolkit will be placed in the Library of the House when it is complete.

The enhanced materials for school leaders and governors about the impact of being looked after on children's educational attainment that have been developed through the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) are currently available only through license to training providers.

NCTL has supported Bath Spa University and Bath and North East Somerset local authority to develop training materials on attachment. This new training resource, ‘An Introduction to Attachment and the Implications for Learning', which includes video footage, is available on the NCTL website members' site:

http://www.nationalcollege.org.uk/index/docinfo?id=651084&filename=an-introduction-to-attachment-and-the-implications-for-learning-and-behaviour.pdf

Between September 2007 and August 2009, the Department for Education funded virtual

school head pilots in 11 local authorities. The total amount of funding was £792,000 in 2008-09 and £286,000 in 2009-10.

Funding for children's services is provided through the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local authorities have the flexibility to make decisions about how this funding is allocated, including on carrying out their responsibilities to promote the educational achievement of the children they look after through the work of virtual school heads.

We have provided £100,000 in 2013-14 to the National College for Teaching and Leadership to work with a group of virtual school heads to develop training materials prior to prepare for the role becoming statutory.