ATL comment on Education Select Committee’s report on the role of Regional School Commissioners (RSCs)

“Nicky Morgan should be deeply embarrassed about the findings of the Education Select Committee. The Committee’s findings can lead to only one conclusion: the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) planning and implementation of the RSC system is deeply flawed and inadequate.

“It is clear that the DfE has failed to address basic and fundamental questions about the operation of RSCs. Schools are subject to multiple, overlapping and confusing accountability systems because Ofsted and the RSCs respective roles and responsibilities are unclear and uncoordinated. Parents are confused about who they should contact if they have concerns about their school, and most do not know that RSCs exist, or what their function is. RSCs do not routinely publish their vision for their area, nor their work plans. RSCs have an inconsistent approach to their role. The DfE was unable, despite nearly a year of asking, to give the Select Committee information about RSC performance on three of their key performance indicators. The work of the head teacher boards are shrouded in secrecy, and the potential for conflicts of interest, are deeply concerning given the DfE’s poor track record in holding academies to account over their financial and governance arrangements.

“The saying ‘you couldn’t make it up’ comes to mind. The problem is that the Government has done just that when it comes to the work, the operation and the outcomes of Regional School Commissioners.”