NO CONSISTENT evidence suggests academisation raises schools’ exam results, a new report confirms today.

In a report giving a verdict of “must do better” on academy chains, the Commons education select committee said that evidence for the case for school privatisation was “limited and varied.”

The report, described as “damning” by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), charts a ballooning in the number of “multi-academy trusts” (MATs) — groups of schools that are run as chains outside local authority control.

There were 1,121 such trusts in England as of 2016, up from 391 in 2011.

Though the academy scheme was initially promoted as giving schools independence, now more than 65 per cent of academies and free schools are part of trusts of multiple schools.

The report slates the trusts for “expanding too quickly,” saying that kids’ education has suffered as a result. It says the current powers of government agencies to inspect trust schools are “not sustainable or sufficient,” and calls for “full inspections of trusts” by Ofsted.

Tory committee chairman Neil Carmichael said: “Since launching this inquiry there have been several changes to academy policy which have caused uncertainty and instability in the sector.

“While some MATs are producing excellent results and making a valuable contribution to our education system, a considerable number are failing to improve and are consistently at the bottom of league tables.

“Only time will tell if MATs are more successful than local authorities in tackling underperformance and supporting high-performing schools.”

The report also says that the best performing councils should be able to create their own multi-academy trusts.

Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) general secretary Mary Bousted said: “The current situation is untenable.

“The government needs to exercise proper control of MATs and the select committee’s recommendation that high-performing local authorities should be able to set up MATs is entirely sensible, necessary and welcome.”

But NUT general secretary Kevin Courtney said councils should be “free to open up their own schools, not forced to open MATs.”

“The lack of oversight, accountability and weak educational standards the government allows to go on in its academy programme is disgraceful,” he said.

“No other advanced economy has deregulated education to this extent. It is affecting children’s education and public money is being wasted.”