academy trusts | Schools Week

Williamson plans behaviour survey and urges ‘sensible debate’ over exclusions

Schools will take part in a new survey on student behaviour every term, the education secretary has announced. Gavin Williamson outlined the proposals as part of a wider drive for “strong behaviour and discipline policy,” including the behaviour hubs project and a crackdown on mobile phone use in schools. The minister also called for “proper […]

MATs move to centralise in wake of Covid pressures, study finds

Many multi-academy trusts have moved to centralise HR, finance, health and safety and other policies in the wake of the pandemic, a new study suggests. While only 15 trusts of mixed sizes in the Midlands took part in the research, it points to a potentially significant development for the sector if replicated more widely. Trusts […]

The emerging ‘super league’ of academy trust CEO pay

The country’s best-paid academy chiefs are pulling even further ahead from the rest, with warnings of a “super league” emerging among leaders. But a Department for Education data collection gaffe means its supposed crackdown on chief executive pay has been halted for the past 18 months. Schools Week’s annual CEO pay investigation can also reveal […]

How the big academy trusts managed to ride out Covid finance hit

Some of the biggest multi-academy trusts have managed to ride out Covid’s toll on their finances – using savings, donations and reserves to pump millions into catch-up schemes and laptops. Analysis by Schools Week revealed trusts with cleaning bills of £1m, IT costs doubled and falling catering income as the pandemic rocked school finances. But […]

Academy trust will take battle to keep school to the High Court

An academy trust will take its legal battle to keep hold of one of its schools to the High Court in a claim which, if successful, could create “new possibilities” for trusts in similar positions. Khalsa Academies Trust has won permission to apply for a judicial review of a government decision to terminate the funding […]

Ministers urged to rule on governance board conflict issue as trustees resign in protest

Governance experts have warned against a “fundamental conflict of interest” of school leaders also being trustees after all the non-staff members of an academy board resigned over the issue. Trustees at Denmark Road High School, a grammar school in Gloucester, quit in protest before Christmas after the headteacher refused to step down from the board. […]

ESFA investigates finances of Trinity Academy London Trust

The government is investigating alleged financial irregularities at an academy trust in south London that was issued a redacted finance warning notice earlier this year. A financial notice from March, published last Friday, ordered the Trinity Academy London Trust – which ran the Trinity Academy in Brixton – to hand over full minutes and notes […]

Covid-19: MATs should use resources to help ‘vulnerable’ schools recover, says Herrington

Multi-academy trusts should use their “considerable” capacity and resources to help vulnerable schools recover from Covid-19, the national schools commissioner has said. Dominic Herrington told the Schools and Academies Show today that relationships between trusts and schools had improved during the pandemic as leaders locally have pulled together to keep educating pupils, and that he […]