Durand Academy head teacher to retire

The trust running the Durand Academy in Stockwell received £17 million from the government to set up s state boarding school is West Sussex, which opened last year, but has been under investigation since February.

The investigation began following a hearing of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee which said that there was an ‘unacceptable lack of clarity’ over who owned assets held by the trust.

It followed concerns that the school’s relationship with another company - run by Martin - that runs leisure centre facilities on the school’s site was not all it appeared to be.

Committee chair Margaret Hodge said she was ’dismayed’ at the fact that despite already earning more than £200,000 as the head of a primary school and being one of the highest-paid head teachers in the country, Martin had received more than £160,000 a year in management fees from a charitable trust.

The Durand Academy, however, said his retirement was planned and had been discussed with the governing body over a number of months.

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