Hastings: Academies trust to stop running 8 schools in town, says MP

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The University of Brighton Academies Trust (UBAT) will no longer be running eight schools in Hastings and St Leonards, says Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore.

The schools in UBAT include West St Leonards Primary Academy, Dudley Infant Academy, The Baird Primary Academy, Churchwood Primary Academy, Robsack Wood Primary Academy and Silverdale Primary Academy, as well as Hastings Academy and St Leonards Academy.

Ms Dollimore said: “Since being elected, I have been raising problems with the University of Brighton Academies Trust (UBAT) at the highest levels.

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“Everyone in our community was horrified to hear that the trust was taking a whopping 20 per cent of the Government grant meant for our local schools. The Minister for Schools confirmed to me in Parliament last month that this cannot continue.”

Hastings Academy on March 2 2023.Hastings Academy on March 2 2023.
Hastings Academy on March 2 2023.

Last April, the then Hastings MP, Sally-Ann Hart called for the academies trust to return ‘millions’ of pounds which she said have been ‘diverted away from our students into coffers in Brighton’.

She said UBAT withheld ‘staggering amounts of money’ from schools’ income.

Her comments came after she made a Freedom of Information request.

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The teachers’ union, the National Education Union (NEU), also threatened strike action following the news.

Ms Dollimore said: “Today it has been confirmed that UBAT will no longer run our local schools. This is a victory for the young people of Hastings and Rye, and a vindication of what pupils, parents and teachers have been campaigning for.

“There will now be a process to determine who runs our local schools. I will be asking all those involved how they plan to work with, not against, the local community to drive up standards.

“Our local schools have been left behind for too long. It is not good enough that over half our young people leave without the basic qualifications in English and maths. I am determined to work with local parents, school staff and young people to make sure that every child here can get the best possible start in life.”

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A spokesperson for UBAT said: “The Board of Trustees of University of Brighton Academies Trust met on Friday (January 10) to consider the future of the trust.

“Following this meeting, the trustees have informed the Department for Education of their desire to seek to transfer the academies in the trust to other academy trusts.

“The trustees are committed to improving the outcomes for all young people at every stage of their education and view this significant step as the best way for this to be achieved.

“The Trust will be working closely with the Department for Education over the months that come to seek the right trusts for academies to join, and to give stability and continuity to all our stakeholders through the time of change.”

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A spokesperson for the NEU said: “The NEU is not surprised by the decision, by UBAT (who operate 12 primary and 3 secondary schools in East and West Sussex) and the Dept for Education, to re-broker UBAT schools.

“It was the decision, by the trust, to top slice over 20 per cent of some school’s budgets and the impact that this had on educators’ working life that led to hundreds of our members taking strike action in 2024 summer term.

“Future employer’s taking over UBAT schools will have a great deal of damage to repair. They must have an open, fair and transparent funding model that give schools the resources they need. Moreover, they will need to provide cast-iron assurances on our members’ pay, terms and conditions including retaining recent workload agreements reached at UBAT and to formally recognise the NEU for collective bargaining. Any failure to honour such terms would make a further industrial action ballot likely. The long-term solution for schools does not lie with any specific academy trust.

“The NEU wants all schools to return to local authority control, and for the Government to properly fund local councils to allow them to provide the kind of education services that our students deserve.”

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An East Sussex County Council spokesperson said: “The local authority is aware that Trustees of University of Brighton Academies Trust have informed the Department for Education that they wish to transfer their schools to other Academy Trusts.

“We will work with the trust and the department to support stakeholders during this period of change. The local authority is committed to working with partners to improve outcomes for children and young people in Hastings.”

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