School Partnership Trust Academies
School Partnership Trust Academies, or SPTA, is a multi academy trust operating in England. It rebranded in late 2016 and is now known as Delta Academies Trust, a fresh start after a spate of bad publicity.
As of 2017 it runs 44 schools mostly in Yorkshire. In 2016 it was described as one of 11 ‘system leader’ academy chains in England.[1]
In 2015, SPTA was warned about the exam performance of 13 of its academies and told that some of its schools could be re-brokered to a different sponsor.[2]
Contents
Cutting teaching posts and narrowing the curriculum
In 2016 it was announced that SPTA was seeking to cut 48 teaching posts and 37 support staff across schools as part of a drive to cut the number of subjects pupils could learn.[3]
People
Leadership
As of 2016:[4]
- Paul Tarn, CEO from February 2016; former Deputy Chief Executive for Outwood Grange Academies Trust
Trustees / directors
As of 2016:
- Sandra Bailey,
- Sean Cavan, Sheffield Hallam University
- David Haigh
- Steven Hodsman, employee of Humberside police
- Emanuela Sani
- David White
Former Trustees
- Sir Robert Edwards
- Roger Plant, director of SPTA from February 2016. Plant is a director of So Direct, a company specialising in the use of Management Information Systems. It provides consultancy at national and local levels for authorities and schools. Before that, he was a managing director at Pearson, and before that with Capita SIMS, which provides data management services to schools.[5] Plant also wrote a review of 'Data Systems' for the Department for Education in 2013, which made a series of recommendations for refoming how data is collected, used and moved around the school system.[6]
- Christopher Billington, founder member of SPTA. Billington is a Partner at Wrigleys Solicitors LLP specialising in 'education' work. Wrigleys 'acts for academy chains and trusts, and free, maintained and independent schools', with expertise 'across the spectrum of schools matters including property management, mergers, employment, governance and charity law'. SPTA is described as a 'significant client'[7] It was reported in 2014 that SPTA paid £424,850 over two years to Wrigleys Solicitors.[8]
- Ian Garforth
- Paul Hirst, consultant at Elmet Education
- Paul Forbes,
Members
As of 2016:
Linked organisations
Contact
- Website: http://www.schoolpartnershiptrust.org.uk
- Address: Education House, Fusion Court, Aberford Road, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 2GH.
References
- ↑ [http://schoolsweek.co.uk/11-academy-trusts-now-have-more-than-30-schools-and-are-labelled-system-leaders/ 11 academy trusts now have more than 30 schools and are labelled ‘system leaders’], Schools Week, 30 November 2016
- ↑ Academy chain warned over standards in 13 schools, Yorkshire Post, 21 December 2015
- ↑ Strike ballots in 7 schools after academy chain SPTA ditches creative subjects and cuts jobs, Schools Week, 13 June 2016
- ↑ SPTA Governance Information, SPTA website, accessed May 2016
- ↑ Roger Plant profile, linkedin, accessed May 2016
- ↑ Analytical review: data systems by Roger Plant, Department for Education analytical review, May 2013
- ↑ Wrigleys Solicitors LLP Profile, from the Chambers UK guide, accessed May 2016
- ↑ Revealed: taxpayer-funded academies paying millions to private firms, Guardian, 12 Jan 2014
