More than 50 academies and free schools have been transferred to new academy trusts two years or less after opening with their original sponsor, a TES analysis has revealed.

The “rebrokering” started in 2012, according to a Department for Education response to a TES freedom of information request.

Of the 318 schools that had been rebrokered by January 1, 2017, a total of 54 were transferred up to 24 months after they had originally opened - including 12 free schools.

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL teaching union, said that one reason for the number of academies being rebrokered was the reluctance of stronger multi-academy trusts to sponsor struggling schools, leaving weaker trusts, with less ability to support them, taking them on.

“It speaks to systemic weakness in the whole multi-academy trust system”, she told TES.

‘Inadequate checks’

Angela Rayner, Labour’s shadow education secretary, said: “This is yet more evidence of the government’s unseemly haste in approving academies.

“With so many new academies failing so early and being rebrokered, it’s clear that there needs to be a much more rigorous approval process. Otherwise more children will potentially lose out through uncertainty, disruption and lack of stability.”

This is yet more evidence of the government’s unseemly haste in approving academies

Of the schools rebrokered within two years or less, 33 were originally in multi-academy trusts, while 21 had been standalone academies. Three of the academies, including one free school, were moved in 2012 and there was a peak of 17 during 2015.

Malcolm Trobe, interim general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “We are aware of cases where trusts are being asked to take on too much and have therefore found it hard to provide the required amount of support, and that has on occasion led to rebrokering.

“If we are finding examples, as I think we are, where these free schools are being rebrokered relatively soon, it would indicate that appropriate checks have not been made in the first instance.”

But Matthew Wolton, a partner specialising in academies at law firm Knights, said: “There should be churn in the academy market, because that keeps people on their toes.”

The Department for Education said that only 2.6 per cent of academies had moved trusts due to underperformance.

@geomr