A picture of the National Audit Office logo DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW 2019 DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION OCTOBER 2019 If you are reading this document with a screen reader you may wish to use the bookmarks option to navigate through the parts. If you require any of the graphics in another format, we can provide this on request. Please email us at www.nao.org.uk/contact-us DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION This overview summarises the work of the Department for Education including what it does, how much it spends, recent and major developments, and what to look out for across its main areas. Bookmarks and Contents CONTENTS Overview About the Department How the Department is structured Where the Department spends its money Accounting for student loans OVERVIEW Spending on education PART [01] PART [04] Exiting the Europeanpage Union 3 – About the Department Recent major developments page 10 – Academy finances page15 – Oversight and inspection – How the Department is structured Part [01] – Academy finances Academy finances continued – Where the Department spends its money Part [02] – Support for children Accounting for student loans Support for children continued – Spending on education Part [03] – Skills development – PART [02] PART [05] Exiting the European Union Part [04] – Oversight and inspection – page 12 – Support for children page 17 – Things to look out for Oversight and inspection continued – Recent major developments Part [05] – Things to look out for Things to look out for continued In this overview, financial years are written as, for example, ‘2018-19’ and PART [03] run from 1 April to 31 March; academic years are written as ‘2018/19’ page 14 – Skills development and run from 1 September to 31 August for schools, and from 1 August to 31 July for apprenticeships and further and higher education. The National Audit Office (NAO) helps Parliament hold government to account for the way it If you would like to know more about the NAO’s work on the Department for Education, please contact: If you are interested in the NAO’s work and support for spends public money. It is independent of government and the civil service. The Comptroller and Parliament more widely, please contact: Laura Brackwell Colin Wilcox Auditor General (C&AG), Gareth Davies, is an Officer of the House of Commons and leads the NAO. Director Director [email protected] The C&AG certifies the accounts of all government departments and many other public sector Education value for money audit Education financial audit 020 7798 7665 bodies. He has statutory authority to examine and report to Parliament on whether government is [email protected] [email protected] delivering value for money on behalf of the public, concluding on whether resources have been 020 7798 7301 0191 269 1859 used efficiently, effectively and with economy. The NAO identifies ways that government can make better use of public money to improve people’s lives. It measures this impact annually. In 2018 the NAO’s work led to a positive financial impact through reduced costs, improved service delivery, or other benefits to citizens, of £539 million. Design & Production by NAO External Relations – DP Ref: 006784-001 © National Audit Office 2019 OVERVIEW DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW 2019 [DfE] – About the Department The Department for Education (the Department) is responsible for education and children’s services in England, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills. Oversight arrangements for education and children’s services Department for Education In 2018-19, 11,600 staff worked in the Department and its agencies Ofsted Through the national and Through the further and non-departmental public bodies regional schools commissioners education commissioner (4,500 in the Department alone). The Department’s vision is to provide world-class education, training and Education and Skills Funding Agency Office for Students care for everyone in England, whatever 151 local authorities their background. It aims to ensure that responsible for school places, everyone has the chance to reach their early years provision and potential, and live a more fulfilled life. children’s services With this in mind, it has set out seven principles that guide its work: 3 • ensure that academic standards match and keep pace with key 13,200 maintained schools Around 250 further education, Around 390 higher comparator nations; sixth-form and other colleges education providers³ • strive to bring technical education standards in line with leading international systems; and Academies sector • ensure that education builds character, resilience and well-being. 1,440 multi-academy trusts 1,360 stand-alone academies To achieve this, the Department seeks to: 7,070 academies within • recruit, develop and retain the best multi-academy trusts people to deliver education, training and care; • prioritise the most disadvantaged people and places; • protect the autonomy of institutions by intervening only where clear Key boundaries are crossed; and Inspection Education performance Financial management and governance All aspects of performance Safeguarding • make every pound of funding count. Notes 1 This is a simplified diagram showing only the main delivery and oversight bodies in the education system. For example, it does not include private early years providers such as childminders, or employers of people undertaking apprenticeships. 2 Numbers of schools are at January 2019; numbers of academy trusts and academies are at June 2019; numbers of further education, sixth-form and other colleges and higher education providers are at August 2019. 3 Higher education providers comprise providers funded via the Office for Students and alternative higher education providers which are regulated, but not funded, by the Office for Students. OVERVIEW DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW 2019 [DfE] – How the Department is structured Higher and further Social care, mobility and Early years and schools group Operations group education group disadvantage group Early years and schools group Responsibility and oversight for early years and schools, including: early years; academies, free schools and regional delivery; the curriculum and qualifications; school accountability and safeguarding; supply and retention in the teaching workforce; school funding, analysis and infrastructure; and school strategy. Higher and further education group# Responsibility for oversight of higher and further education, including: student finance; funding for sixth forms and the adult education budget; Responsibility and oversight for early years and schools, Responsibility for oversightcareers advice; of higher student and choice; further implementing the higher educationResponsibility primary legislation; for and oversight delivery of theof post-18social educationcare, mobility and funding review. Responsibility for ensuring that the Department is including: early years; academies, free schools and education, including: Thestudent group is finance; also responsible funding for international for sixth and EU Exit activity.and disadvantage, including: promoting outcomes of resourced (people, data/information, finance and IT) to regional delivery; the curriculum and qualifications; school forms and the adult educationSocial care, mobility budget; and disadvantage careers advice; group disadvantaged pupils and young people; delivery of deliver its business objectives and that it has efficient Responsibility for oversight of social care, mobility and disadvantage, including: promoting outcomes of disadvantaged pupils and young people; accountability and safeguarding; supply and retention student choice; implementing the higher education the special educational needs and disabilities strategy; and effective systems and processes; and delivering delivery of the special educational needs and disabilities strategy; delivering reforms to children’s social care; and increasing social mobility in the teaching workforce; school funding, analysis and primary legislation; andthrough delivery Opportunity of the Areas post-18 around the education country. The group is alsodelivering responsible forreforms departmental to children’s strategy, including social Spending care; Review and preparations. increasing the Department’s objectives for the school estate. infrastructure; and school strategy. and funding review. TheOperations group group is also responsible for social mobility through Opportunity Areas around the international and EU Exit activity.Responsibility for ensuring that the Department is resourced (people, data/information,country. The group finance is also and IT) responsible to deliver its business for departmental objectives and that it has efficient and effective systems and processes; and deliveringstrategy, the Department’s including objectives Spending for the school estate. Review preparations. Executive agencies ESFA (Education and Skills Funding Agency): Responsibility for improving education and skills; administering funding; rolling out the apprentice- 4 Executive agencies Executiveship, technical non-departmental education and qualifications reform programmes; and delivering the National Apprenticeship Service and National AdvisoryCareers Service. non-departmental There are two STA (Standardspublic and bodies Testing Agency): Develops the curriculum and sets tests to assess children in education from early years to the end of key public bodies non-ministerial stage 2. departments TRA (Teaching Regulation Agency): Regulates