Sir Michael Wilshaw criticises MAT exec pay and administration

[sparkeh]

Ofsted chief hits out at academy trust executive pay - BBC News Edited March 10, 2016 by sparkeh

[sparkeh]

In the letter to Nicky Morgan, Sir Michael said problems at these multi-academy trusts often replicated those of the worst local councils, and were leading to poor results for too many pupils, particularly disadvantaged ones.

Is anyone really that surprised?

[LeMarchand]

Is anyone really that surprised?

 

In other news, it can now be revealed that the Pope is a Catholic and bears do defecate in the woods.

[localzuk]

The government's response is a nonsense too. Being in a failing academy isn't dealt with swiftly at all! A local academy to us was first identified as having issues when it got its GCSE results in 2014. They were inspected in October 2014, and placed in special measures on 4 counts. It then took more than 6 months to get rid of the head and the governors. They were taken over temporarily by a different trust, who haven't really changed anything yet, and they've just agreed to take them over permanently.

 

Their pupil numbers have dropped from 1300 to less than 800 in that time too...

 

Is 2 years swift? I don't think it is. Bet the chief exec at the new trust is on a fair packet too.

[Nixon77]

There are bad academy chains, but there are also good.

[twin--turbo]

My old place lead the way way in demonstrating how badly a MA Federation ( only 2! ) can be driven into the ground by an overpaid under achieving EXEC... He lasted less than 6 months along with the badly appointed head of one of the Academies. the other badly appointed head managed ~5 years before being expunged.

 

Not sure if he had a chance though as there was a lot of decisions taken to engineer out key people that could have helped make it work.

 

 

£xxxxxxx wasted ...

[elsiegee40]

There are bad academy chains, but there are also good.

And only the bad ones make the news

[LeMarchand]

There are bad academy chains, but there are also good.

 

And only the bad ones make the news

 

The thrust of the article didn't seem to me to be saying there aren't good academies, but that far too many people are getting paid over the odds.

[sparkeh]

The thrust of the article didn't seem to me to be saying there aren't good academies, but that far too many people are getting paid over the odds.

Agreed and that there can be bad academy chains as well as bad LAs. However as soon as anyone, no matter who, voices any kind of criticism of Academies they are 'attacking' it.

'It is surprising and disappointing to hear Sir Michael attack the academies programme," said a Conservative spokesman.

[Ephelyon]

My favourite bit is right at the top:

 

He said the trusts were sitting on millions of pounds that should be used to raise standards.

 

They're not, are they? Surely they're not making a profit out of education? Whoever saw that coming?!

 

And that's irrespective of whether an academy chain is good or bad, or whether it makes the news or it doesn't. The new system has profit-making baked into it, and it will happen even if the chain is doing well in terms of pupil achievement.