A trust CEO said he has been left puzzled after a merger that would create England’s second-biggest academy chain was referred to ministers to rule on.
Delta Academies Trust boss Paul Tarn took over Coast and Vale Learning Trust as chief executive in April, following an “in-principle agreement” between the organisations to join forces.
The proposals – which will take Delta’s tally to 63 schools – were due to be decided on by the Department for Education’s Yorkshire and Humber advisory board last month. Coast and Vale has six schools.
But documents published today reveal the case has instead been escalated to government ministers, but don’t say why this has been done.
“I’m at a loss,” Tarn said.
“We’re well above national for all the key measures, we’re the most efficient trust, financially, in the country, we’re rebuilding all our schools from the ground up – this is the kind of trust you want to grow.”
‘We work as one trust already’
Regional directors have powers devolved from the education secretary to make important decisions such as ordering schools to convert to academies, taking action when schools are underperforming, and managing academy sponsors.
Along with the advisory boards of leaders who support them, they can choose to “escalate” a decision to a DfE minister, in circumstances where they don’t feel they can decide themselves.
Coast and Vale decided to merge after all nearby “capacity giver” schools had academised. Its advertisement for a new boss stated it would be “an interim post”, with the new chief expected “to manage a merger”.
Tarn proposed stepping into the position and “if you like what you see, you take a decision at a later stage over whether you’d like to formally join us”, he said. Trustees came to an “in-principle agreement” to join Delta.
But one trust leader warned of the risks of such a move, noting: “[The trusts] are so far down the line If the board doesn’t think it’s the right match, what happens then?”
Tarn said the two organisations “work as though we’re one trust already”.
Coast and Vale has been given more than £200,000 worth of support, he added.
“What we’re not doing is going in and making major investments in the buildings themselves or replacing all the IT equipment that needs replacing. We’re not allowed to spend our [Delta’s] money in another trust.”
Tarn previously said he had not been paid for his second post.
