The Department for Education has released the latest list of letters it has had to send out to academy sponsors because of its concerns about the “poor performance” of their schools.
There are 99 official letters in total, going back to January 2012 when the warning system was first introduced. They also reveal that 11 academy chains have received multiple warnings.
The Academies Enterprise Trust - the biggest chain in the UK, with 68 schools - has received 14 letters, more than any other sponsor. It was criticised by Ofsted in September 2014 for failing to give “too many pupils” a good enough education.
The DfE has been releasing details of the correspondence since 2013. The most recent two letters, in the latest list, both concern the Oasis chain, with two of the sponsor’s academies receiving notices that their funding agreements could be terminated.
Oasis Academy Skinner Street in Gillingham, Kent, was sent the “pre-termination notice” on 15 June, after Ofsted inspections in March and April 2015 judged the school as inadequate. Oasis Academy Wintringham, in Grimsby, was given a “pre-termination” warning notice in March after inspectors found that pupils were making poor progress.
Academy sponsors that have received multiple “poor performance” notices from the DfE:
*Academies Enterprise Trust: 14
*Kemnal Academies Trust: 8
*Oasis Community Learning: 4
*E-Act: 3
*Park View Educational Trust: 3
*School Partnership Trust Academies: 3
*CfBT Schools Trust: 2
*Djanogly Learning Trust: 2
*Lord Robert Edmiston: 2
*United Learning: 2
*Woodard Academies Trust: 2
