Academies Enterprise Trust

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The Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) is a Multi-academy Trust (MAT). A MAT is a non-profit, educational charitable trust, which sponsors schools with academy status.

History

AET was formally established in 2008 by the Greensward Charitable Trust,[1] which was itself established in 1996 to support Greensward School.[2] The first school in the trust was Greensward Academy, at Hockley, Essex.[3] The Trust began growing in 2008 with 3 schools.[4] At its largest the chain numbered 76 schools.[5] By 2015 AET had contracted to 68 schools.[6] However it remained the largest Academy chain in the country.[7]

Number of Academies each year[8]
Year Academies
2008 3
2009 4
2010 11
2011 30
2012 76
2013 77
2014 76
2015 68

By the end of 2014 AET had 6149 staff of which 2784 were teachers[9]

The first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AET was David Triggs, until September 2013. The second CEO was Ian Comfort. Ian Comfort worked with AET part time since 2009, joining full-time in 2012 as Group Secretary and General Counsel.

The table above shows that between 2011 and 2012 AET more than doubled in size. This led to criticism that the Academy chain was growing too fast and was therefore unable to ensure appropriate standards in its schools.[10] Academies Enterprise Trust has been reported as "dogged by criticism since it was set up.[11] In early 2014 the Secretary of State for Education -Michael Gove appointed David Hoare as unpaid trouble shooter after criticism of “lavish expenses” and poor performance at the chain following its rapid expansion in 2011-2012. Hoare was subsequently appointed chair of Ofsted in July 2014 following objections to another candidate Tory donor David Ross[12] The chain was ‘censured’ after 5 of its schools required improvement and one was deemed inadequate. Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw called for powers to inspect academy chains & not just individual schools. In response AET said that Ofsted judgements were unfairly negative and that many of its newly acquired schools had a history of poor performance and would require time to turn round.[13]


Academic standards

In February 2014 the AET was accused of being a "dodgy outfit" for "gaming the exam results", a claim based on the fact that in 2013 AET reported 52% of pupils gained 5 GCSES A-C grade (including English and Maths) but when this was analysed and "equivalent GCSEs were removed" the pass rate fell to just 36.5%[14]

When AET was criticised for expanding too fast and not ensuring high enough academic standards, there was controversy over whether AET was 'barred' or 'banned' from expanding; or whether AET itself had chosen not to expand. Mike Barnett, on behalf of AET said that <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

the trust had agreed with the DfE that following a period of rapid expansion, it would “pause and consolidate our operations”... We currently have 68 schools and will expect this number to grow with DfE approval to 80 by the end of the school year. We have not been ‘barred’ from expanding.[15]

However rather than growing to 80 academies, AET then reduced in number to 68 schools and a report for the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education stated explicitly that AET "has been barred from taking on more schools because of concerns that its rapid expansion was adversely affecting standards."[16] Education Minister Edward Timpson said that "At 27 February 2014, 14 sponsors were restricted in full from sponsoring new academies or free schools out of a total of over 350 approved sponsors that currently support academies.”[17] Responding to queries about bans which prevent Multi-Academy Trusts expanding, a spokesman for the Department for Education said <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

When we do have concerns about the performance of academy sponsors, we act quickly – we stop them from taking on new projects, so that they focus on their existing schools, and ensure pupils there get a good education. When they have demonstrated this, they are able to take on new academies.[18]

At the same time, the then shadow Education minister Steve McCabe MP commented "...If they are not good enough to take on any new schools why are they good enough to run existing schools...?"[19]

AET has celebrated improvements in its Primary schools in 2015. However a study by the Financial Times found that AET as an Academy chain had a negative value added score of -2.17, indicating that (on average) pupils in the Academy chain were doing less well than other pupils in comparable non AET schools.[20] Lord Watson of Invergowrie went on to ask a parliamentary question about the number of AET academies with warning notices.[21]

Financial management

AET income fell considerably between 2013 and 2014.

Year Income Expenditure Total
2012
2013 £523,985,000 £266,208,000 £257,777,000[22]
2014 £314,067,000 £333,118,000 -£19,051,000[23]

The 40% drop in funding between 2013 and 2014 was reported as due to the fact that AET received large transfers from Local Authorities to help it take on Academies.[24] Following the worsening financial situation AET was given a Financial Notice to improve on the 23rd October 2014. The Notice to Improve letter stated <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

The Education Funding Agency (EFA) has decided to issue a Financial Notice to Improve (the ‘Notice’) as a consequence of concerns about the financial management and governance of the Trust including the oversight of financial management by the Accounting Officer and the Directors...we have significant concerns about the volatility shown in the series of financial projections provided to us and the ability of the trust to forecast and therefore, critically, to secure finances across the group[25]

At that time the Educational Funding Agency (EFA) had only used its powers to issue a Financial Warning on 8 occasions.[26] As of 17 December 2015, 27 Financial Notices to Improve have been served upon Multi-academy Trusts, only 16 of which were still open.[27] In its 2014 Annual Report, AET stated that the trust expected the notice to be lifted by Marsh 2015.[28] However the Financial Warning Notice remained in place in Autumn 2015.[29] In the September 2015 AET Board meeting, the CEO Ian Comfort was cited as saying that he had not been aware of a deadline for reporting to the Education Funding Agency, which has the power to lift the Financial Notice to Improve.[30]

Financial concerns have been raised in the media about the fact that AET paid almost £500,000 to private businesses owned by its trustees and executives.[31] Ian Comfort, who as CEO was reported as earning £220,000 per annum,[32] was cited by the media for receiving £329,000 in addition to his salary for "project management services".[33]

In 2013 the press reported that the number of staff paid six figure salaries in AET had risen almost five fold in a two year period.[34] Despite overall numbers of staffing dropping in 2014, the numbers of staff paid at the highest levels went up. So in 2013 there were 22 staff recorded with salaries between £100,000 and £229,000. In 2014 there were 26 staff paid in the same range.[35] Jon Richards, the Education officer of the union UNISON said “The explosion in senior pay across many academy trusts over the past few years is completely disproportionate... In the same period, school support staff have endured year upon year of pay freezes and real-term pay cuts.”[36]

Following reports of financial problems, in 2014 AET announced a plan for a "Joint Venture" with a commercial partner (reported as Price Waterhouse Cooper[37]) which would have seen up to £400m of support services outsourced. The plan was controversially labelled by its critics as a "plot...to turn 80 schools into money-spinning businesses at the cost of hundreds of jobs."[38] However AET itself described it as simply a way of bringing outside expertise in to the organisation in order to improve its services to schools. Although unable to go ahead in 2014 with the full Joint Venture, in 2015 AET put out to tender aspects of the central services which would have fallen within scope of the Joint Venture.[39]

Commenting on plans for the original Joint Venture, Averil Chambers, from the GMB Union, memorably stated <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

Given that AET has a history of financial irregularities I wouldn’t trust them to look after my cat, let alone millions of pounds of public money[40]

Primary schools

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Secondary schools

The following table is a list of AET secondary schools including current and former secondary schools, accurate to data available in November 2015. The table includes an indication of exam results, OFSTED grade and any letters from the Department for Education expressing concerns about standards. There is a footnote in each case, so that the individual accuracy of each piece of data can be verified.

5GCSES A-C (including English and Maths) taken from School and College Performance Tables[41]
Academy Name Joined AET Left AET 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 OFSTED Grade DfE Warning or Pre Warning
Aylward Academy Apr 2010 48% 43% 43% 40% 41%[42] Good[43]
Bexleyheath Academy Sep 2011 NA 51% 61% 49% 25%[44] Good[45]
Broadlands Academy Sep 2013 50% 44% 61% 53% 44%[46] Requires Improvement[47]
Childwall Sports and Science Academy Sep 2012 Jan 2015 51% 35% 41%[48] Requires Improvement[49]
Clacton Coastal Academy Sep 2009 38% 36% 45% 39% 35%[50] Good[51]
Cordeaux Academy Sep 2013 38% 50% 49% 49% 43%[52] Requires Improvement[53]
East Point Academy Sep 2012 Dec 2014 39% 32% 36%[54] Requires Improvement [55] 16 September 2013[56]
Eston Park Academy Sept 2012 Sep 2014 NA 34% 60% 44%[57] NA Inadequate[58] 15 October 2013[59]
Everest Community Academy Sep 2011 40% 34% 53% 33% 36%[60] Requires Improvement[61] 21 March 2013[62]
Felixstowe Academy Sep 2011 NA 49% 43% 44% 42%[63] Requires Improvement[64]
Firth Park Academy Sep 2013 26% 44% 54% 40% 47%[65] Good[66]
Four Dwellings Academy Apr 2013 32% 43% 33% 35% 36%[67] Requires Improvement[68]
Gillbrook Academy Sep 2012 Sep 2014 41% 36% 26%[69] NA Inadequate[70] 15 October 2013[59]
Greensward Academy Sep 2008 72% 78% 75% 68% 64%[71] Good[72]
Greenwood Academy Jan 2013 29% 37% 53% 52% 35%[73] Good[74]
Hillsview Academy Sep 2014 NA NA NA NA 43%[75] Not inspected
Kingsley Academy Apr 2013 43% 47% 34% 46% 38%[76] Requires Improvement[77]
Kingswood Academy Sep 2013 31% 44% 45% 34% 32%[78] Inadequate[79] 9 December 2014[80]
Maltings Academy Sep 2008 42% 51% 56% 63% 56%[81] Outstanding[82]
Millbrook Academy Jan 2012 55% 51% 54% 24% 27%[83] Requires Improvement[84] 20 October 2015[85]
New Forest Academy Sep 2012 49% 42% 47% 53% 44%[86] Inadequate[87]
New Rickstones Academy Sep 2008 40% 43% 49% 40% 53%[88] Good[89]
Nightingale Academy Sep 2010 42% 33% 43% 35% 32%[90] Requires Improvement[91]
Richmond Park Academy Sep 2010 43% 61% 62% 46% 51%[92] Good[93]
Ryde Academy Sep 2012 NA 51% 53% 47% 36%[94] Requires Improvement[95]
Sandown Bay Academy Sep 2012 NA 40% 47% 42% 47%[96] Requires Improvement[97] 21 March 2013[98]
Sir Herbert Leon Academy Sep 2012 32% 39% 49% 25% 18%[99] Requires Improvement[100] 19 December 2014[101]
Swallow Hill Community College Sep 2013 31% 28% 30% 27% 22%[102] Inadequate[103] 6 January 2015[104]
Tamworth Enterprise College Sep 2012 37% 48% 52% 38% 53%[105] Requires Improvement[106]
Tendring Enterprise Studio School Sep 2013 NA NA NA 1% 3%[107] Requires Improvement[108]
Tendring Technology College Sep 2010 26% 69% 72% 47% 57%[109] Outstanding[110]
The Duston School Jun 2012 Mar 2015 NA NA 62% 49% 53%[111] Outstanding[112]
The Rawlett School Sep 2012 54% 61% 69% 57% 64%[113] Good[114]
Unity City Academy Sep 2012 25% 48% 34% 34% 26%[115] Good[116]
Winton Community Academy Nov 2012 27% 40% 36% 33% 26%[117] Inadequate[118] 25 November 2013[119]
National Maintained Schools 59% 59% 60% 57% 56%
Academies Enterprise Trust 44% 47% 51% 43% 41%[120]

Cells coloured red represent 5 GCSE A-C (including English and Maths) results which are below the minimum standards expected by the Government floor target,[121] OFSTED grades which indicate standards need to be improved or Department for Education letters stating that standards are 'unacceptably low.' Cells in darker grey indicate schools which have left AET or data which arose for periods of time before or after the schools were part of AET. The table also includes academies which belong to AET's subsidiary companies, such as London Academies Enterprise Trust (LAET)

Special schools

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  • Columbus School and College, Essex
  • Newlands Academy, London
  • Pioneer School, Essex
  • The Ridge Academy, Cheltenham
  • Wishmore Cross Academy, Surrey

Former schools

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References

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  1. ↑ http://www.greenswardcharitabletrust.org/
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ See the Corporate Plan 2014-2017 on the following page Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ See the Corporate Plan 2014-2017 on the following page Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ See the Corporate Plan 2014-2017 on the following page Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  101. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  102. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  111. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  112. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  113. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  114. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  116. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  117. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  118. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  119. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  120. ↑ See the Corporate Plan 2014-2017 which is available from Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  121. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  122. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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