Revealed: how DfE evaded answering questions on the impact of “no excuses” behaviour policies at East London academy

Department for Education has failed to give any answers on how it has followed up on high-profile safeguarding investigation at school within the Mossbourne Federation, in a development Hackney council commission described as a “critical failure of accountability” on academies.

 

Senior figures within an East London local authority have issued an “urgent” plea for information to the Department for Education, after the government refused to provide answers on how it is holding an academy chain to account following a high-profile safeguarding inquiry.

A succession of questions, sent four months ago by Hackney council’s Children and Young People Scrutiny Commission and covering issues including how the DfE had responded to concerns about the impact of “no excuses” behaviour management policies and the over-representation of black boys and children with special educational needs in discipline statistics at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (MVPA), have gone unanswered.

It was revealed earlier this month that the DfE had drafted answers to the questions, but then decided not to send them to the commission, in advance of a public scrutiny session which the department also declined to attend.

The DfE has now also refused a freedom of information request to a local newspaper about its answers to the questions, while earlier this year it would not disclose to a parent, again when asked to do so under FOI, how it had responded to the Mossbourne safeguarding review. It also failed to disclose communications with the federation when asked under FOI to do so by Education Uncovered.

Hackney’s commission said, in a letter to a senior DfE official with the schools minister, Georgia Gould, copied in, that the issue highlighted a “a broader, critical failure in the local accountability framework for academies,” and needed urgent attention, seemingly from Ms Gould.

Rejecting the three FOI requests, the DfE has argued that transparency on the issue was likely to “inhibit the free and frank provision of advice” and to have a “chilling effect” on its dealings with Mossbourne Federation.

Speaking in front of Hackney’s commission in July, Mossbourne’s chair said there was “absolutely nothing wrong” with its behaviour policy, while its chief executive said he made “no apology” for its strictness.