Academies

Lilac Sky: 8 years, 2 banned heads, £3m ‘improper’ spending – but no report 

The government had promised for years to publish its investigation report into a scandal-hit trust

The government had promised for years to publish its investigation report into a scandal-hit trust

Exclusive

After an eight-year investigation that allegedly uncovered £3 million of “improper” academy trust spending and led to the banning of two heads, the government has bizarrely claimed an investigation report into the scandal “does not exist”.

The Department for Education has for years promised to publish its investigation report into the collapse of the Lilac Sky Schools Trust.

An “outcome” report was published online this year.

While it alleged more than £3 million of trust spending was deemed “contentious, irregular or improper”, it had few further details.  

The government previously dodged releasing the investigation under the freedom of information process, saying it “intended to publish the final report once the investigation had concluded”.

But after a new FOI from Schools Week, the DfE has now claimed: “A final investigation report does not exist.”

Holly Lawton, the deputy director for counter fraud and prevention at the Education and Skills Funding Agency, said the previous report was an “interim paper intended to support the investigation process”.

“The nature of the information contained within the paper was unverified and therefore incomplete.”

Andy Jolley
Andy Jolley

When asked for clarity on the meaning of “unverified”, the DfE said this “does not mean that the information or evidence gathered by the investigation is inaccurate”.

Instead, it means the Maxwellisation process – where all parties named in the report have a chance to respond – has not been completed. 

Transparency campaigner Andy Jolley said: “It’s nonsense officials haven’t received a final report, they are using semantics to protect people from scrutiny.”

Laura McInerney, an FOI expert, said there were 23 reasons the government could give to not provide information. 

“They can’t just now claim a report they said existed has disappeared. They should follow the rules, just like schools are expected to do.” 

Latest education roles from

Biology GCSE Tutor (Variable Hours)

Biology GCSE Tutor (Variable Hours)

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College

Work Experience Support Assistant

Work Experience Support Assistant

Bournemouth and Poole College

EHCP & SEND Administrator

EHCP & SEND Administrator

Bournemouth and Poole College

Director of Governance

Director of Governance

Stanmore College

Lecturer in Policing and Public Services

Lecturer in Policing and Public Services

West Suffolk College

Part Time Variable Hours Tutor of Construction and the Built Environment

Part Time Variable Hours Tutor of Construction and the Built Environment

York College

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

The impact of vocational education at KS4 and beyond 

Everyone reading this article of Schools Week shares a common purpose: we all want to create the brightest possible...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Food for Thought: How schools can encourage the next generation to make better food choices

With schools facing a number of challenges, including budget constraints and staff shortages, Marnie George, Senior Nutritionist at Chartwells,...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

A celebration of education as Bett turns 40!

The world of education has transformed dramatically in the past 40 years, but one thing remains constant: the dedication...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Equipping TAs for the Rise in SEND: How Schools Can Benefit from the Specialist Teaching Assistant (STA) Apprenticeship

The Level 5 Specialist Teaching Assistant apprenticeship opens up a new government-funded career pathway for teaching assistants. Here’s how...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Academies

Don’t rush to create biblical MATs, Catholic dioceses told

All but one of the 19 English Catholic dioceses are pursuing trust growth plans

Jack Dyson
Academies

Academy trust merger decision due (despite CEO already running the other chain)

Delta boss Paul Tarn took over Coast and Vale Learning Trust as chief executive in April

Jack Dyson
Academies

DfE quietly ditches pledge to publish academy scandal investigations

Department has shifted to publishing 'a summary of the outcomes of an investigation'

John Dickens
Academies

Trusts paid out £3m in rule-breaching related-party deals

Related-party transaction breaches were flagged in 52 academy trust accounts last year

Jack Dyson

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *