From the Gloucester Citizen: Nick Weller, executive principal of the Dixons Academies Trust and chairman of the Independent Academies Association wrote a piece for the Gloucester Citizen in the aftermath of the Prospects Academies Trust's announcement that it will close down and pass its schools onto other sponsors (BBC, The Independent, ).
He made two criticisms/observations about some sponsors:
Firstly that some 'are perceived to be too focused on providing back-room support like HR and Legal support, or Payroll and Financial Services, and not focused enough on improving the education offered by the schools they take on'.
Secondly that: 'Too great a geographical reach means that central resources are spread too thin...'
He said funding agreements signed by trusts required them to provide a warning before shutting down and that they have to continue their obligations to an academy until a new sponsor has been found.
He added that: 'If a Trust proved incapable of fulfilling this obligation, the DfE would put in additional capacity to cover the interim, perhaps in the form of additional governance, or by asking another Trust to take charge temporarily until a permanent solution is found.'
In some cases, though, would the DfE have to provide support to a MAT taking on a school in financial difficulty? (St Aldhelm's).
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