Information for academies
The National Audit Office (NAO) is conducting a value-for-money study on the expansion of the academies programme, and will be asking a sample of academies to complete a short online survey.
The NAO is independent of Government, and plays an important role in scrutinising public spending on behalf of Parliament. It audits the accounts of all government departments and a wide range of other public sector bodies. In addition, it also publishes around 60 value-for-money reports each year on a broad range of government activities and initiatives. These reports are published and laid before Parliament, and many form the basis of Parliamentary hearings by the Public Accounts Committee.
The study is examining the Department for Education’s expansion of the academies programme since May 2010. It is considering how well the Department has planned and managed the expansion, and whether current funding and oversight frameworks are adequate to manage risks to value for money across the expanded academies sector.
Those academies selected to complete the survey will be sent full details on how to complete the survey, along with a web link to the questions, in the week ending 22 June. In order to minimise the burden on academies, the NAO has obtained data from other sources wherever possible. However, some of the information required is not available elsewhere, and can only be obtained directly from academies. The survey should take no longer than 30-40 minutes to complete.
The Department and EFA are fully supportive of this work, and would be grateful if those academies selected to complete the survey could do so by Friday 13 July 2012.
