Gainsborough: E-Act loses control of Trent Valley Academy

This decision was made after Ofsted inspectors raised serious concerns about the performance of some schools run by the E-Act academy chain.

E-Act will remain in control of the further 24 academies in its chain, while officials work to find different sponsors for the 10 schools affected, which includes Trent Valley Academy in Sweyn Lane, Gainsborough.

Executive Principal, Mike Westerdale, said: “Following unexpected media reports, and having sought clarification from E-ACT Head Office in London, I can confirm that talks between the DFE and E-ACT are on-going in relation to the size and rationalisation of the E-ACT estate.”

“I believe that since my arrival in September 2013 significant impact has been achieved in raising students’ outcomes.”

“I can assure students, parents and staff that as always my priority is to ensure quality first teaching and to provide our young people with life enriching and life enhancing opportunities.”

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, said: “The DfE announcement to strip E-ACT of ten of its academies will cause uncertainty and anxiety for pupils, parents and staff in the academies which have been named.”

“The NASUWT has been expressing concern for some time about the school improvement strategies adopted by E-ACT, which in our view were counterproductive to raising standards.”

“Unfortunately, while the DfE will undoubtedly make a virtue out of its decision to remove the schools from E-ACT and find other sponsors, this ‘pass the parcel’ strategy is no way to treat children, staff and schools or to support school improvement.”

“Children and staff are, once again, being sacrificed, as the flaws in the Coalition’s ideological policy of privatising and marketing schools continue to emerge.”

Such sponsored academies are state funded, but are part of chains run by academy providers. Academy providers are not-for-profit trusts that run groups of schools and more than 50 per cent of secondary schools in England are now academies.