Academy chain to close

[creamteas]

The Prospects Academies Trust is to close. It looks like the schools themselves will stay open, but be moved to another, as yet unknown, sponsor.

I hope that those in favour of market mechanisms in education will stop and see how damaging this policy really is.

One of their schools is near me. It's had a shockingly bad time in recent years and this will be another blow.

Or the start of it's recovery.

Shocking that so many of this chain's schools are not providing an adequate education. I see that another under-performing chain are actually opening a new school quite near me

If any of you have time, the Ofsted inspections of the Gloucester Academy make unbelievable reading. They accuse the school of making false statements to them and hiding the true progress of the children. I also notice the acting Head, after the lying one was removed, is a well respected former Head from a school near me. This school is clearly a shambles which is dreadful for the local children and their families. Let's hope its future is brighter!

Milly, that's the school near me. The problems are deep and wide ranging. The thing is, whether this is the start of a recovery or not is only the tip of the iceberg. The reputation of that school is in tatters. It has a shiny new building but no one wants their kids to go there. There is a child at my school who is on the verge of permanent exclusion. The mother this week has said that she'd rather home ed than send her child there. Even if changes are made, it takes years for a school to recover its reputation and with a poor reputation comes falling rolls which means less money which means fewer experienced teachers etc etc

It's terribly sad.