黑洞社区

Delivery agency Partnerships for Schools is to be closed, the government has confirmed today.

Education secretary Michael Gove said that the agency鈥檚 fuctions would be transferred to the Department for Education and the new Education Funding Agency, as reported in 黑洞社区 last month. The move, which the government intends will be effective from next April, will increase the level of direct control the government has over the school building programme.

Gove said: 鈥淔ollowing Sebastian James鈥檚 proposals for a new system for managing capital expenditure and the wider reform of arms length bodies, I have decided the time is right to bring together, in a single agency, the allocation and management of revenue and capital funding, including the delivery of capital programmes.鈥�

鈥淚 am committed to improving the transparency, accountability and efficiency of the education system, including slimming-down the number of Arms Length Bodies. This will allow more resource to be directed to the front line, where it matters most, and enable people to see more clearly who is accountable for what and to speak more directly to Government.鈥�

The Education Funding Agency will be led by Peter Lauener, who is the current chief executive of the Young People鈥檚 Learning Agency 鈥� another organisation that will be folded into the new body.

The Education Funding Agency will take over responsibility from the Young People鈥檚 Learning Agency for the funding of young people鈥檚 education and training - including the increasing number of academies. 

Gove added: 鈥淚 would like to take this opportunity to thank Partnerships for Schools for their excellent work over the years. In particular, I am grateful for their support and advice on Academies and Free Schools, contributing to the success of these priority reforms for the Coalition Government.鈥�  

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