Largest academy chain offloads eight schools
The trust now has 68 schools, down from 77 last year, following Lord Nash’s comments that academy chains performed better when within an hours drive of each other. Last March the Department for Education barred AET from taking over more schools amid fears that it was expansion was too quick. It was also criticised by Ofsted when inspectors said it was failing to give ‘many pupils’ a good enough education.
The relinquished schools are East Point Academy in Lowestoft; Childwall Sports & Science Academy in Liverpool; Oaks, Tree Tops and Molehill Copse Primary Academies, Kent; Northamptonshire’s The Duston School; and Peak and Greenfield Academies in Gloucestershire.
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