my children attend an academy, and I work in schools, but not as a teacher. What's your interest?
I have an interest in the trusts set up Richmond as a parent, which you also seem to know about. A local mumsnetter had similar views and arguments to yours - but seeing as she was involved in proposing the free school which is very much in competition with those trusts, it was relevant that she did declare an interest in those discussions. The problem with the academies system, including even the 'good' MATs, is that it relies on individuals who may have vested interests, but equally could walk away and leave a very big hole in the system. LAs are democratically accountable and sustainable structures, running schools that have a recognised independent legal status (unlike schools in a MAT). Heads are running their own schools but not expected to run several schools at once, which could be the case in the small local MATs picking up the pieces from or alternatives to edubusinesses like LST. Also LAs are not set up by husband and wife teams like some free school trusts (the one in Richmond, which is a chain of mostly religious schools). Proprietor schools might be fine for small businesses in the private sector, because no one is forced to send their children there, but not for the public sector. Cronyism and corruption was a feature in the Kings Science Academy because of the appointment of family members as well as the involvement of a Tory party donor.