Union and parents raise concerns about schools’ academy plan

Parents and a union have raised concerns about a joint governing body’s plan for two Hove schools to become academies.

The schools – West Hove Infant School and Hove Junior School which form the Hove Learning Federation – are currently holding a four-week consultation on joining the Aurora Academies Trust. The consultation is due to end on Tuesday 10 December.

Parent Vivoula Volgas went to a meeting with school governors and representatives of Aurora on Monday (18 November) and raised concerns about the proposals.

She said: “Our main concern is that we cannot trust a business with our children’s education and future.

“We want the local authority to step up and fund adequately our outstanding school so that it can continue to flourish.”

Among parents’ concerns are Aurora’s membership of a large international education network and the financial stability of the sponsor company Pansophic UK Learning Limited.

Public service union Unison is also concerned about the consultation process and the union’s previous knowledge of Aurora Academies Trust.

Unison rep Matt Webb said: “Academisation does not replace the local authority. It replaces the local governing body. In theory, the academy trust could buy into the services provided by the local authority.

“The school governors appear to be unwittingly placing their own heads on the block. The academy model removed all autonomy for the schools.

“The school would no longer be run by a local governing body. It would be run by academy trustees who run another seven schools and are directors of private companies that profit from providing educational services.

“The school will have no choice over what services the school uses, how it is run, what curriculum is used and at what financial cost.

“And if the trust decides to re-broker the school to another trust later down the line, there will be nothing anyone else can do.

“There are huge limitations and huge risks which nobody wants to talk about. I am sure that these sorts of financial arrangements between academy trusts and private companies are very common but unless we pull them out into the open and examine what is going on, it will continue to go on.

“It will go on largely ignored while our education system is further fragmented and isolated under the guise of free market competition and profiteering being the solution to, rather than a contributing factor, the ongoing schools crisis.”

Mr Webb said that four Aurora Academies Trust schools in Sussex paid £100,000 in May 2014 to the organisation’s then parent company, Mosaica Education for a “patented curriculum” which featured in the national press at the time.

The curriculum was used until 2018 at City Academy Whitehawk, another Aurora-run school. Mosaica was sold to Pansophic Learning and Tatonka Capital Corporation in July 2015.

Brighton and Hove City Council has urged the school to rethink the proposal to join a multi-academy trust, sending a public letter to parents this week.

Earlier this year, it emerged that West Hove Infant School has a financial deficit of more than £624,000, licensed by the council. Hove Junior School has a deficit of just over £60,000.

Schools are mainly funded per pupil through the direct schools grant from the government, with more than half of all local authority maintained schools in Brighton and Hove in the red as pupil numbers fall.

The two schools, between them, have 1,117 pupils and operate from three sites – in School Road, Portland Road and Holland Road.

As the local education authority, the council distributes schools grant funding from the government and supports any overspending

The schools’ executive head teacher Madeleine Southern said: “This is a well-considered decision and we believe this partnership is the best option for our schools’ future success.

“We are committed to maintaining our ethos and values, ensuring every child thrives academically and personally.

“The decision to explore joining an academy is driven by the need for long-term financial and operational sustainability in an increasingly challengingeducational environment.

“Joining Aurora will ensure the school’s future and continued excellence in education.

“The consultation process is open and transparent, with input from all stakeholders, and the school will retain its identity, culture and close ties to the community. The schools’ commitment to inclusive education remains unchanged.

“This partnership will strengthen our ability to maintain high standards of for all pupils and help us better meet the changing needs of our community, ensuring our two schools continue to adapt and thrive.”

Aurora Academies Trust chief executive officer James Freeston said that the trust started working with Pansophic Learning in 2015 when the company took over Mosaica Education.

Mr Freeston said: “Pansophic is an education company that operates schools in the US and other countries.

“It is the sole member of Aurora Education Trust, which is the principal sponsor of Aurora Academies Trust.

“Academy trusts are not-for-profit companies under UK law. They are responsible for employing staff and are governed by trustees who oversee the performance of the academies within the trust.

“These trusts may operate a single academy or a group of academies.

“Aurora Academies Trust is a charitable organisation that operates independently of Pansophic Learning, with no financial transactions between the two entities.

“While three of Aurora’s ten trustees are employees of Pansophic, all trustees serve in a voluntary capacity, offering strategic leadership to the trust.

“Pansophic has no involvement in the day-to-day operations of Aurora Academies Trust.”

Consultation responses can be sent to a.consultation@hovejun.brighton-hove.sch.uk by Tuesday 10 December.