Academies Enterprise Trust

This article is part of the Spinwatch privatisation of Schools Portal project.

Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) is the largest multi-sponsor of state-funded, independent academy schools in the UK. In 2016 it was described as one of 11 ‘system leader’ academy chains in England.

Formed in September 2008, AET currently runs 67 schools.

Google and AET

In 2012 AET began the transfer of email, websites and all documents over to Google’s cloud service. It adopted Google Apps for Education, and soon after, bought 1,200 Google Chromebooks. According to AET 'Google Apps and Chromebooks made learning more interactive and showed students the potential of learning with technology'.

Support for online education

AET's 'education vision' includes many references to online learning:' ICT will be as available as electricity and seen as another utility, which will facilitate learning in different contexts; personalised learning will be a reality with a wide ranging curriculum... We will have full service schools built around technology.'

'Our work in e-Learning is cutting edge with thousands of pages of content and lesson plans is now available to other schools and Academies via our Personalised Learning Platform eZeschools. Through the dedication of our staff we have made personalised learning a reality and it is our intention to make all resources available to our partner Academies via the Academies Enterprise Trust.'

AET currently provides its students with access to online learning materials and computers on a 3:4 ratio.

Lobbyists

Champollion has acted as the AET's lobbyists since 2013. The UK government's Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists shows that the firm lobbied ministers for the Trust from January until December 2015.

Controversy

Privatisation by stealth

In 2014 it was reported that AET was seeking to outsource all non-teaching posts in its schools, from librarians to caretakers, to a for-profit organisation. It selected PricewaterhouseCoopers as a partner in the plan. AET wants to set up a limited liability partnership with PwC, which would be paid up to £400m of taxpayers' money over 10 years for its role, although it added that PricewaterhouseCoopers had agreed to work with it at no cost to help it review its services. In November 2014 AET ditched its plans, which needed approval from the secretary of state, and was seeking an “internal solution” instead.

Conflicts of interests

In 2013, AET was discovered to have paid nearly £500,000 over three years into the private business interests of its trustees and executives. The payments were for services ranging from project management to HR consultancy, according to the academy chain's company accounts.

Poor performance

AET has been criticised for its poor performance in managing schools. In a statement in 2013, the Department for Education said it was concerned about AET's performance. "DfE representatives have visited AET academies that are not making the necessary improvements," it said. In March 2013, the department said it was barring AET from taking over more schools because of concerns that its rapid expansion was hitting standards.

People

Members

Members of the Greensward Charitable Trust, the sponsoring charity of AET, as of 2016.

• Ian Foster, Group CEO; former adviser to Boris Johnson (2009-12); former COO of rival academy chain, Ark; ex-City education officer at the Corporation of London (2003-06)
• Michael Walker
• Steve Leverett, ex-Head of Strategic Partnerships at Essex County Council Children’s Services.
• Martin Terry

Former Members

• Rupert Gather, former chair of AET. Gether is founder chairman of InvestUK, a Mayfair-based, independent corporate finance firm that specialises in Foreign Direct Investment into the UK. Also founder of Claridge Capital, a corporate finance advisory firm.

Trustees

Board of Trustees (2016):

• Ian Comfort
• Jude Chin, chair of SSAT (The Schools Network). Chin had a 30-year career with KPMG, 16 years of which as a partner in the London office. Former member of the Corporation of London Education Committee.
• Andrew Thraves, currently director of education for Prospects Group, which provides a wide range of education, employment and skills services to schools, colleges and councils in the UK and internationally. Thraves is also chair of British Educational Suppliers Association.
• Jack Boyer, chair of board. An entrepreneur who chairs engineering firm Ilika plc. He is non-executive director of global technology company Laird plc and strategic outsourcing company Mitie Group plc. Ruby McGregor-Smith, the chief executive of Mitie, whose company’s services include schools facilities management, is a non-executive director of the Department for Education.

Former Trustees/directors

• Father Adam Gaunt, vice chair of board
• Ian Foster, worked for 37 years in the motor industry
• Trevor Fulcher
• Jerry Glazier
• Stuart Green, works 'in the IT industry'.
• Keith Lomax
• Rupert Gather
• Ricky Ricketts; also director of BT responsible for the education sector
• Ali Jarral, trustee of the Greensward Charitable Trust from 2008; then joined the Academies Enterprise board of directors in early 2010. Jarral is a consultant on 'Cloud Computing Infrastructure' with 'experience of ICT infrastructure technologies forming large and complex distributed ICT estates'.
• Steve Leverett
• Lynn Aitchison
• Joan Deslandes
• David Hoare; was drafted in to rescue AET at the start of 2014, after the academy chain was lambasted for poor standards and lavish expenses claims. Hoare is current chair of the school standards regulator, Ofsted (appointed July 2014); Hoare is ex-Bain & Company. Educated at Marlborough College, he is a Stanford alumni.

Contacts

Website: http://www.academiesenterprisetrust.org