Doubts over more multi-school trusts
Plans to create more multi-academy school trusts in Kent have been met with scepticism.
New pledges have been made by the government to convert all schools into academies by 2030, meaning greater freedoms over curriculum choice for children.
The New Schools Bill, which was laid out in the Queen’s Speech last week, champions the delivery of “strong” multi-academy trusts, which are groups of schools that join together to educate children.
Kent secondary school leaders and county councillors have expressed mixed feelings about the proposed way forward.
Mike Walters, who is the executive principal of St Anselm’s Catholic School in Canterbury, which is part of a multi-academy trust, said: “It has been a positive experience being on an academy trust.
“Whether that is de facto a good way of running schools remains to be seen.”
Last week, the government introduced a new legal tool for local authorities to request some or all of their schools to join a “strong” academy trust.
The academy programme first started in September 2002 and was targeted at schools which have been struggling with their education standards.
Trusts have become more widespread across England as the government believes trusts can provide better teaching quality for students.
Kent County Council’s (KCC) cabinet met on May 16 to discuss the fresh proposals laid out by Whitehall during a public debate in County Hall, Maidstone.
KCC leader Roger Gough (Con), who in 2016 expressed “vociferous” criticism of a drive to convert schools to academies, said: “I think it is quite a mixed picture so far.
“You have some very strong trusts, and that is great, but establishing the full requisite number of such strong trusts is not a simple matter.”
Ashford county councillor Mike Hill (Con), who is a director of a local academy trust in his division, warned that multi-academy trusts would lead to schools “losing their local identity”.
Cllr Hill, KCC’s cabinet member for communities, said: “Our experience has been almost entirely positive since the trust was established.
“Our perception is that our strength comes from being local.
“The trust was given the opportunity to work with another trust right across the county. We decided against it because we thought we would lose our identity and local focus, which in our views is one of our big strengths.”
Christine McInnes, who is KCC’s director of education, said she wanted the county council to be involved in the process across Kent by 2030.
She said: “We have so many single academy trusts. I don’t think the government has developed its thinking on the next steps.
“It is a right move to pilot some models in Kent to help shape the
thinking.”
‘It is a right move to pilot some models in Kent to help shape the thinking’