Mismanagement by academy trust leaves vulnerable students and staff facing huge cuts

Large cuts are looming at the TBAP multi-academy trust, which runs schools in London, Essex, Cambridgeshire and the North West, following accusations of financial mismanagement, say education unions today (Friday). The TBAP trust, which teaches children excluded from mainstream education, plans to cut over £2.5m (14.4%) from its budget, say the unions. UNISON, which represents school support staff in the chain, recently wrote to the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) raising serious concerns about financial management at the trust. The ESFA warned the trust in January, and has now put TBAP under financial notice to improve management, control and governance in all its schools. The unions find it particularly worrying that the Department for Education continued to allow the trust to take on new schools, when it knew the trust was in financial difficulties. Unions say the rush to make such severe cuts will damage pupils and put teaching and support staff jobs at risk. There is also concern that employees who are not made redundant could see their salaries cut. If jobs go, unions fear vulnerable pupils will need to be taught in larger groups. This could not only disrupt their learning, but also risk their safety and that of staff. The trust is also suggesting that online learning could be an alternative to the classroom so it can cut back on staff, say unions. UNISON head of education Jon Richards said: “The ESFA needs to do a full investigation into how the TBAP tr...
Source: UNISON Health care news - Category: UK Health Authors: Tags: News Press release education Jon Richards public services Source Type: news