DfE bars 14 academy chains from taking on more schools

More than a dozen academy chains have been barred from running more schools amid serious concerns over education standards and financial mismanagement, it has emerged.

The Department for Education revealed that 14 organisations – currently sponsoring 170 academies – are unable to expand until urgent improvements are made.

Ministers said the chains would be prevented from “taking on new projects” to put a renewed focus on driving up standards in their existing schools, although the Government insisted the number of groups hit by restrictions had actually fallen in the last six months.

The disclosure comes just weeks after the Telegraph told how the second biggest academy group – E-ACT – was being forced to hand a third of its 34 schools back to the government after a series of Ofsted inspections unearthed serious weaknesses.

It represented the biggest wholesale withdrawal of powers from one chain since the academy programme was established by Labour more than a decade ago.

But figures published following a Parliamentary question show that concerns have been raised over 13 other chains, barring them from taking on more schools.

This includes the Academies Enterprise Trust – the biggest academy chain, with 77 schools. Others include the Academy Transformation Trust, which runs 16, the University of Chester Academies Trust, which has nine, and the Prospects Academies Trust, which currently runs six schools.

Edward Timpson, the Children’s Minister, said these chains were “restricted in full from sponsoring new academies or free schools”, but insisted the number was small compared with the 350 approved sponsors currently in operation. The number has also dropped from 25 some six months ago.

“This Government is tough on under-performance wherever it occurs – be it in council-run schools or in academy chains,” he said.

“The vast majority of academies and sponsors are performing well, with [Sats] and GCSE results improving faster in academies than council-run schools.

“When we do have concerns about the performance of academy sponsors, we act quickly by stopping them from taking on new projects, so that they focus on their existing schools and ensure that pupils receive a good education.

“Only when sponsors have demonstrated this are they then able to take on new academies.”

Academies are funded directly from Whitehall – bypassing local councils – and have complete freedom to alter the curriculum, staff pay and reshape the school day and academic year.

Hundreds of academies are sponsored by chains – mainly non-for-profit trusts running them over a limited geographical area.

According to the DfE, 350 registered chains are currently in operation, with restrictions placed on 14. This was down from 25 in October.

In most cases, restrictions are imposed where officials have concerns over education standards. But some cases have emerged of academy chains suspected of misusing taxpayers’ money.

Last week, ministers wrote to the Hertfordshire-based Barnfield Federation saying weaknesses must be addressed following evidence of "significant financial irregularity", including “substantial pay rises” to certain executives without proper oversight.

Other chains barred from taking on more schools are the City of Wolverhampton Academy Trust, the Djanogly Learning Trust, the Grace Foundation, Landau Foundation, Lee Chapel Academy Trust, South Nottingham College Academy Trust, the Learning Schools Trust and West Hertfordshire Teaching Schools Partnership.

In all these cases, the chains involved currently run between two and five schools.