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Original poster

Academy trust gives up - what does the future hold?

61 replies

GnomeDePlume · 09/09/2017 06:25

The academy trust for my DD's school has thrown up it's hands and given up. Essentially all 12 schools in its control have been thrown back on the government.

It is the first time an academy trust has done this so not really looking for advice.

Not sure what this will mean for DD as she is in her final year of sixth form. Hopefully the school will continue to plod on with some sort of emergency measures.

My real sympathy is for the students and parents in earlier years. My DD's school is the only one in the town. No option to go elsewhere.

The school has been in and out of SM throughout the time we have been associated with it. I have lost count of the number of Heads the school has had. For a while there was no Head at all.

Now the academy trust has given up on it and 11 other schools.

OP posts:
errorofjudgement · 09/09/2017 07:13

Gnome I'm sorry your DD has had such a poor experience. I hope she will leave with some good results that let her go forward to whatever she wants to do next

errorofjudgement · 09/09/2017 07:10

We have 3 secondary schools in the local town. The one managed by The Trust is the worst performing.
The other 2 schools are both Trusts managed by themselves iyswim rather than owned by a larger group.

Original poster
GnomeDePlume · 09/09/2017 07:07

It looks like The Education Fellowship gave up back in March so possibly that has come into effect at the start of the new year.

It is a shambles. My DCs' education has been marred by one cock up after another. Each time we have thought 'it cant get worse' but it has.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 09/09/2017 06:53

Here's the story about the other chain doing this www.tes.com/news/school-news/breaking-news/troubled-wakefield-city-academies-trust-give-all-21-its-schools

noblegiraffe · 09/09/2017 06:51

OMG I thought this was going to be about the Wakefield trust which has just given back 21 schools. Two academy chains giving up their schools within a couple of days of each other.

I guess they will need to find new sponsors, but for that number of schools and at such short notice it's going to be tough. Ideally they'd revert to LA control but I don't think that's even allowed Hmm

What a total shambles. Flowers Gnome to all the parents and pupils caught up in this mess. Technically as they're academies they come under direct control of the Secretary of State so ask Justine Greening what she's going to do about it, she only did a guest post on here the other day.

ChattyLion · 09/09/2017 06:50

This is terrible OP. Also that this hasn't been more widely reported. Hope your MP is being very very active on this.

errorofjudgement · 09/09/2017 06:50

Oops - sorry. Fast moving thread!!

errorofjudgement · 09/09/2017 06:49

Is this the Trust?
www.google.co.uk/amp/schoolsweek.co.uk/education-fellowship-trust-gives-up-all-12-schools-over-poor-performance/amp/

One of the schools is close to us, and the head teacher who left to be employed directly by the Trust, in a senior highly paid role, is returning to take over the school following the collapse.

I'm not sure why the Trust thought they could effectively manage schools spread over such a wide geographic area.
Or indeed why they could manage schools at all!

Wellmeetontheledge · 09/09/2017 06:48

Oh gosh. Do you hope that the government will let the schools be run as non academies again or that they are picked up by a different academy chain?

Original poster
GnomeDePlume · 09/09/2017 06:45

This is the news story:

schoolsweek.co.uk/education-fellowship-trust-gives-up-all-12-schools-over-poor-performance/

Northamptonshire where 5 of the schools are is an educational black hole. Constantly poor performing across the board.

In my DD's school it has been a litany of failure. One incompetent Head after another. Failure to get even the basics right. Poor management letting down students and staff year in and year out.

OP posts:
KittyVonCatsington · 09/09/2017 06:29

Shocking! Do you know which Academy Trust it is?
All that money thrown at Academy Executives and converting to Academies when it could have gone direct to the student resources.
I have no words.