I can now confirm that Lilac Sky Academy Trust (LSSAT) is being investigated by the Education Funding Agency, on behalf of the Department for Education, into its financial practices. The Trust will be closed on December 31st, only the third Trust nationally I can find that has been shut down in this way. My previous article sets out the background to the story, anticipating this development. Knockhall Academy, one of the nine LSSAT primary schools in Kent and Sussex, is transferring to the The Woodland Academy Trust on 1st January 2017, and a letter sent out to parents yesterday (1) & (2) confirms the investigation and closure, adding significantly that "any monies due to the school will be recovered", I have also been sent by Turner Schools, the new sponsors of Morehall and Martello Grove Academies in Folkestone, a copy of a letter to parents that provides more information about the new organisation than was available in my previous article.....
The formal handover will take place on 1st January 2017, so the Autumn terms will be very interesting as both these new sponsors say they will be working with Lilac Sky to ensure it is school as usual from September. The explanation on the LSSAT website that "This was clearly a very difficult decision to make, but was done so in the best interests of the children", now looks yet another lie, as it is becoming clear that the DfE has forced the Academy to jettison its schools, so no decision to make. One can only speculate how much the new sponsors can rely on Lilac Sky to assist in the process of transfer, with staffing being central. The Woodland Academy Trust, as an existing Trust considers it can use its staff flexibilities to solve any problems.
Surely, someone in the Regional School Commissioner's Office should have noticed the evidence I have quoted in my previous article and should never offered these nine academies to Lilac Sky in the first place. The Knockhall letter is particularly revealing, referring to monies that should be recovered by the school from Lilac Sky. However, much of the lost money could have been spirited away into another Lilac Sky Company, and may be irrecoverable after LSSAT is closed. Certainly, my recent article about the Dispatches Programme, " How School Bosses Spend Your Millions" provides a number of clues as to how it can be done. It is doubtless no co-incidence that the Woodland Trust letter emphasises: "The Finance Director of the Woodland Academy Trust will strictly control payments made by the school." However, the problems remains that there is no guarantee that such promises are meaningful - the LSSAT website is littered with similar idealisms.
This news will also be a great embarrassment for government, which has championed the growth of Multi-Academy Trusts. Earlier this week, I was asked by Radio Sussex if what is in effect a battle of attrition may be a good thing as poor Trusts go to the wall, to be replaced by better ones. In no way should children's education and futures be used in this way, but no-one in power appears interested in the damage done to children's futures, as gold-diggers continue to prey on the education service. Sadly, there is not even evidence that academies as a whole are doing a better job than maintained schools. If you saw my interview on BBC SE you will know how angry I am about all of this preventable blot on the education service.