Academy Trust will hand over schools after money dispute
A multi-academy trust in Sussex is handing over its schools to other trusts after a number of protests over its financial management.
University of Brighton Academy Trust (UBAT) faced a teachers strike For taking unusually high amounts of money from the school budget for backroom expenses.
The trust says it will work closely with the Department of Education (DoE) to ensure “sustainability and continuity” across its 11 primary schools and three secondary schools.
A National Education Union spokesman said it reflected a “deep problem” and called for all Ubat schools to be returned to local authority control.
In a letter addressed to parents and carers, Ubat said it faced “a time of challenge and change”, adding that its “key objective” is to ensure that each of its academies “lives up to its Provide the best education for all youth”.
It says it also wants staff “to have the resources to support this on a daily basis”.
The decision to relocate its academies is “based on the fact that its trustees are committed to improving outcomes for all young people at every stage of their education”.
Saying it would work with the DOE in the coming months, it added that “no decisions have yet been made about which schools may join which trust”.
Calling for all Ubat schools to be returned to local authority control, a National Education Union spokesperson said: “Financial mismanagement, lack of transparency and inadequate funding of frontline services has harmed Ubat schools and made our members’ jobs difficult. Have given.”
