Telford academy trust is to be dissolved after schools put in special measures
The multi-academy trust which ran four failing schools in Telford that have been put into special measures is to be dissolved and replaced with new leadership, the Department for Education (DfE) said today.
The Community Academies Trust (CAT) is to take over from the board of trustees of the Telford Co-operative Multi-Academy Trust (TCMAT) in September.
It will be responsible for Sutherland Co-operative Academy and Wrockwardine Wood Arts Academy – which will merge in September forming Telford Co-operative Academy. It is also responsible for Lakeside Academy and Phoenix Academy.
The four academies were all given the worst possible "inadequate" rating following visits by Ofsted inspectors in February this year.
The results were published last week.
Three of the schools – Sutherland, Wrockwardine Wood and Lakeside – were rated "good" schools by Ofsted before the conversion to academy status.
Academies are free from local authority control and given more power over decision-making and budget-setting.
The CAT already runs six schools but only one of those is a secondary school - The Polesworth School in Tamworth - which received an "outstanding" Ofsted rating.
A spokesman for the DfE said the department and the regional schools commissioner were now working closely with the schools in Telford.
They have also called in outstanding schools Streetly Academy, in Walsall, and Wood Green Academy, Sandwell, to help improve standards.
Wrockwardine Wood and Sutherland are to merge and move into a new school building in September, while Lakeside and Phoenix are also recent new builds.
The Reverend Peter Lawley, TCMAT chairman, said last week despite the inspection reports, he believed the "future was bright" for the four schools.
