New: Hereditary principle kicking in at Harris Federation: educationuncovered.co.uk/diary/diary/15… England’s 2nd-largest academy chain has underlined its position as in the control of a single family, as wife and son of its “sponsor” have joined him at the highest level of its governance system.
So the three members at Harris Federation are now Lord and Lady Harris and their son, Peter. As I revealed in 2019, Lord Harris as "principal sponsor" gets to appoint up to 32 trustees, overseeing this chain of 50 state schools, and that right then passes to family members. So...
...this is an overwhelmingly publicly funded, but privately controlled, organisation.
Oh, elsewhere in this diary column: academy trust "mergers" (really takeovers) continuing, despite covid; and another trust returns to previous extended day plans: educationuncovered.co.uk/diary/diary/15…
...Piece also mentions in passing another academy trust, with another businessman sitting at the apex of its governance, which has seen its CEO's salary rise by at least 27 per cent over the three years 2017-20. educationuncovered.co.uk/diary/diary/15…
The academy member level of governance is the academies policy's greatest weakness. Democratic control of publicly-funded assets would seem to be inarguable. Instead we get essentially private control, via small no of members who are "akin to shareholders".
Still thinking about this. Think if you said to someone abroad: "In England, a few unelected ppl get to appoint majority of board of governors for many schools, with completely free choice inc ability to appoint mates and family members," they'd just laugh incredulously.
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