This summary outlines a potential new role for local authorities. We believe there is a fundamentally important and legitimate role for local government in education, but it is not synonymous with being a provider. We think there may be merit in thinking about the role of local authorities as protector, convenor, and supporter.
- Protector: local government will always in our view exercise a protective function in relation to the most vulnerable children and young people. They will continue to have statutory duties in relation to safeguarding and children’s social care. They must enact their duties as a Corporate Parent. They will undoubtedly continue to have duties with regard to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. They must have a role in elective home education, children missing education, unaccompanied children and refugees.
- Convenor: local government has a very important convening function in relation to strategic objectives for education and the shaping of ‘place’ so local areas are good places for children to grow up. It is important that local government has a convening role in the creation social value and the promotion of public values. It has a sufficiency duty as only the local authority will hold all the information required to calculate how many school places are needed.
- Supporter: local government has significant strategic capability and capacity. As such it is important that it is able to work with education providers to help to overcome barriers and promote education as a social good. An example here would be the role of local government in supporting (and as a last resort, enforcing) school attendance. Another example would be to support the supply of teachers, particularly in areas where this is a local system-level problem. During the pandemic, we have seen how local authorities have worked with Trusts to enact civic leadership – addressing issues of public concern and place and the protection and promotion of public values.
Policy paper
Sector development
Public benefit and civic duty
