Commenting on the Education Select Committee’s report on the performance, accountability and expansion of multi-academy trusts, Sir Peter Lampl, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Sutton Trust, said:

“The Committee is right to raise concerns about the performance of multi-academy trusts. Our own research shows that, while there are some academies achieving excellent results, a similar number fail to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged students.

“The Government needs to act now to introduce more accountability and transparency for all academy trusts. We have recommended to government that chains should only be allowed to expand with a track record of success in bringing about improvement in their existing academies.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

  1. The Sutton Trust is a foundation set up in 1997, dedicated to improving social mobility through education. It has published over 180 research studies and funded and evaluated programmes that have helped hundreds of thousands of young people of all ages, from early years through to access to the professions.
  2. Chain Effects is the Sutton Trust’s annual analysis of the impact of academy chains on low-income students. In 2016, the report highlighted that there continues to be very signification variation in outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, both between and within chains.