This report is designed to encourage the Department for Education (DfE), and wider government, to consider how to ensure effective relationships with local delivery bodies. It brings together insights from our previous work on how to get these relationships right.

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Our work often examines how well central government departments work with local bodies to deliver public services. This includes DfE, which works with schools, early years settings and residential care providers, often through local authorities, to deliver its strategic objectives.

Actions identified from our work

We identified eight actions for the Department for Education (DfE) to consider to strengthen its relations with local delivery bodies, including local authorities and other front-line providers.

  1. Establish a clear vision and ensure it is coherently translated into local performance measures, so local decisions consider the outcomes wanted by DfE.
  2. Set out clear, transparent systems so all parties, including DfE, fully understand where responsibilities for delivering outcomes lie, and any misalignment is addressed.
  3. Collect and use proportionate and reliable cost and outcome data to understand how funding is used and make informed decisions.
  4. Target support and guidance, informed by insights into organisations’ capabilities and local context, where it can have the greatest impact.
  5. Be clear on the standards expected from local bodies to ensure realistic expectations and clarity on when DfE will intervene.
  6. Strengthen the identifying and sharing of good practice, insights and data through making best use of information and channels available.
  7. Use whole-system approaches and work with wider government to share funding, priorities and expectations.
  8. Ensure that local accountability arrangements are supported and regularly reviewed so they adapt and remain effective.

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Press release

View press release (21 May 2026)

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