I understand that the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) LINK have visited Woodfield School, Kingsbury, an academy, to investigate compliance issues. This follows a request by the National Education Union (NEU) in May asking Secretary of State Damian Hinds and Brent Council for an investigation by a relevant financial watchdog.
The investigation is thought to have centred on allegations regarding a consultant being paid almost £240,000 over 2 years* for around 8 days work a month. Shortly before taking up the post it is claimed he had been a trustee overseeing financial decisions by the academy. LINK
There was a long dispute between staff at the Village School and its governing body over plans to form a Mult Academy Trust with Woodfield School.
The publishing of a report by the ESFA on their investigation is awaited with great interest. I am told that neither the NEU nor staff have as yet seen evidence that the MAT has actually been approved.
*Corrected from initial version which stated one year. Apologies for wrong information.
UPDATE Friday September 7th
Usually well-informed sources say that the EFSA arrived at Woodfield today giving the school 5 days to response before the Agency decides whether to serve a financial notice to improve.
The investigation is thought to have centred on allegations regarding a consultant being paid almost £240,000 over 2 years* for around 8 days work a month. Shortly before taking up the post it is claimed he had been a trustee overseeing financial decisions by the academy. LINK
There was a long dispute between staff at the Village School and its governing body over plans to form a Mult Academy Trust with Woodfield School.
The publishing of a report by the ESFA on their investigation is awaited with great interest. I am told that neither the NEU nor staff have as yet seen evidence that the MAT has actually been approved.
*Corrected from initial version which stated one year. Apologies for wrong information.
UPDATE Friday September 7th
Usually well-informed sources say that the EFSA arrived at Woodfield today giving the school 5 days to response before the Agency decides whether to serve a financial notice to improve.
2 comments:
'A consultant being paid almost £240,000 over 2 years* for around 8 days work a month.' Even if it is over 2 years, not one, that is still awful.
And how much are the hard-working teachers at Woodfield being paid for their full time jobs?
In a quick online check, Woodfield School has 155 pupils (figure as of May 2017)
Quote - The trust operates an academy for pupils aged 11 to 19 serving a catchment are in Brent. It has a pupil capacity of 176 and had a roll of 155 in the school census on May 2017
Source – Trustees Report for the year ended 31 August 2017 / Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 August 2017.
Even if at full capacity of 176 pupils, this figure of almost £240,000 over 2 years for "consultancy service" is astonishing.
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