Financial pressures are growing on local authority maintained schools and the capacity of local authorities to support financial management in schools is itself under pressure. The Department for Education needs a system for alerting it to problems requiring intervention.
The Department for Education has made progress against many of its objectives in delivering the free entitlement to early education, but it must address variations in take-up, quality of provision and the impact on attainment in later years if it is to achieve value for money.
Apprenticeships for adults offer a good return for the public money spent on them overall. However, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills could improve value for money significantly by targeting resources on areas where the greatest economic returns can be achieved.
The Comptroller and Auditor General has qualified the financial accounts of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) over how the Council has accounted for two of its sponsored institutes, the Institute of Food Research and the Babraham Institute.
The Higher Education Funding Council has taken a cost-efficient approach and has delivered value for money in the context in which it has operated to date. However, the sector is facing a period of transition to a very different financial environment.
Achievements and participation of 16- to 18-year-olds in education have improved, but issues with performance management and accountability arrangements remain.
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 12 led by the Department for Education: ‘Improve the health and well-being of children and young people’
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 10 led by the Department for Education: ‘Raise the educational achievement of all children and young people’
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 11 led by the Department for Education: ‘Narrow the gap in educational attainment between children from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers respectively’
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 14 led by the Department for Education: ‘Increase the number of children and young people on the path to success’
Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 covering the period 2008-2011
Review of the data systems for Public Service Agreement 13 led by the Department for Education: ‘Improve children and young people’s safety’
The service provided to students applying for finance in 2009 did not achieve value for money, according to a report today by the National Audit Office. There were major problems in the processing of applications – with fewer than half new applications being fully processed by the start of term – and in communications with […]
The Department for Education has made good progress in improving take-up and achievement in areas such as A-Level maths and GCSE Triple Science. However, there has been less success in increasing the number of science teachers, improving take-up of A-Level physics and raising the standards of school science facilities.
Many academies are performing impressively in delivering the Academies Programme’s intended improvements. Most academies are achieving greater rates of improvement in academic attainment than their predecessor schools.
Although Cafcass could not have predicted the sustained increase in care cases from November 2008, it could have responded more quickly and cost effectively to the large and sustained increase in care cases from local authorities.
This report examines whether government has an effective approach to enhancing workforce skills.
This report examines secure training centres for young offenders and MoJ and HMPPS’s progress with establishing secure schools.
In collaboration with the National Governors Association, the National Audit Office has updated its well-received guide for school governors. The guide was first published in May 2006 alongside our value for money report on Improving poorly performing schools. It is intended to help both new and experienced primary and secondary school governors, as well as school leaders, identify and tackle the issues important to their schools’ organisation and performance.
This report examines how well DWP’s Kickstart scheme was implemented, and whether it is having the intended positive impact.