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Wakefield City Academies Trust

Formation	December 7, 2010; 14 years ago (2010-12-07)
Type	Multi-academy trust
Focus	Education
Location	The Nostell Estate, Wakefield, WF4 1AB
Key people	Chris Pickering, CEO
Website	wcatrust.org

Wakefield City Academies Trust (WCAT) was a multi-academy trust (MAT) that managed 21 schools (14 primary and 7 secondary) across West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and the East Riding of Yorkshire. As an academy trust, it was an exempt charity regulated by the Department for Education (DfE).

In September 2017, WCAT announced it would cease operations and dissolve once new sponsor organisations were found for its schools.

Schools

Primary

The trust operated 14 primary schools across South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

• Barkerend Academy, Bradford
• Bell Lane Academy, Pontefract
• Brookfield Primary Academy, Mexborough
• Carr Lodge Academy, Doncaster
• Havercroft Academy, Wakefield
• Heathview Academy, Wakefield
• High Crags Academy, Shipley
• Kinsley Academy, Pontefract
• Montagu Academy, Mexborough
• Morley Place Academy, Doncaster
• Thornbury Academy, Bradford
• Waverley Academy, Doncaster
• West End Academy, Pontefract
• Willow Academy, Doncaster

Secondary

The trust operated seven secondary schools across East Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.

• Balby Carr Community Academy, Doncaster
• The Freeston Academy, Normanton
• Goole High School, Goole
• Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy, Pontefract
• Mexborough Academy, Mexborough
• Wakefield City Academy, Wakefield
• Yewlands Academy, Sheffield

Create Studio, a 14–19 studio school in Goole, was managed by WCAT before it closed in August 2015.

History

Wakefield City Academies Trust was founded in late 2010, with its first school, Wakefield City Academy, joining the trust in January 2011.

Alan Yellup, CEO of the trust, was awarded an OBE for services to Education in the Queen's 2014 Birthday Honours.

In July 2015, WCAT became the third academy trust to receive a focused inspection from Ofsted. The trust was praised, with the report finding it to be "making a positive difference" to pupils.

In November 2015, WCAT was one of 5 "top performing" academy trusts to receive a share of £5m government grant funding to improve schools in the north of England.

CEO Alan Yellup left WCAT in March 2016, with former chairman Mike Ramsey appointed interim CEO.

In the autumn of 2016, the trust was criticised for its financial practices. In October, it was reported that the trust had made payments of £440,000 to companies owned by its interim CEO, Mike Ramsey and his daughter. In November, a report by the DfE's Education Funding Agency of findings from an investigation into WCAT was leaked. It found 16 breaches of official guidance and revealed "extreme concern" in response to Ramsey being paid £82,000 for 15 weeks of work.

In late 2016, WCAT pulled out of taking on sponsorship of Hanson Academy and University Academy Keighley, two Bradford secondary schools.

WCAT appointed Chris Pickering as its new CEO in May 2017. Pickering previously led Diverse Academies Trust.

Request to stop operating

In September 2017, Wakefield City Academies Trust requested to stop operating all of its 21 schools because it could not make the "rapid improvement our academies need and our students deserve". Five of its schools had been rated inadequate by Ofsted. The Department for Education agreed to the transfer of all WCAT schools to new sponsor organisations, with the trust continuing to operate during the "re-brokering" process. The announcement prompted local MP Yvette Cooper to call for a review of accountability in multi-academy trusts and a public petition to return the schools to local authority control.

Records were released in October 2017 indicating that plans to transfer schools away from WCAT had existed since December 2016. At that time, it was planned to re-broker 10 schools to other academy trusts, leaving WCAT "with a viable, manageable and sustainable MAT."

In October 2017, the Department for Education announced details of which academy trusts were its "preferred sponsors" for the WCAT schools and began a period of consultation with interested parties.

Transfer of assets

In October 2017, Wakefield City Academies Trust was accused of "asset stripping" when it was reported to have transferred funds away from the schools it managed, including hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for them by volunteers. The transferred funds stood to be lost included:

• Up to £800,000 from Wakefield City Academy
• £436,000 from Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy
• £300,000 from Heath View Primary School
• £178,000 from High Crags Academy primary school, which had joined WCAT in April 2016.

In December 2017, West Yorkshire Police confirmed they were investigating WCAT's conduct after receiving information from Wakefield Council. The investigation ended in April 2018, with the police concluding in a statement that "no crimes have been recorded."

The Education and Skills Funding Agency published a 2016 financial and governance review of WCAT in November 2018. The report showed that the government had advised the trust to pool surplus school funds centrally.

New sponsors

The Department for Education confirmed the new sponsors for most WCAT schools in January 2018 and the new Balby Carr Community Academy sponsor at the end of March 2018. Changes following the consultation were that Kinsley Academy and West End Academy, primary schools initially earmarked for transfer Outwood Grange Academies Trust, would instead join Waterton Academy Trust. Decisions that "reflect the views of parents and staff".

Concerns over high costs related to Mexborough Academy's private finance initiative contract delayed its transfer. In November 2018, it joined the DfE's preferred sponsor, Delta Academies Trust.

Winding up

WCAT ended its 2018 financial year with over £2m in cash. The trust said it expected to have reserves when it wound up and stated that any surplus would be used for the benefit of students. Its February 2019 accounts stated a cash balance of over £1m. In June 2019, WCAT confirmed it had returned an undisclosed sum to the Department for Education. Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield, called for the return of the funds to "the schools who were so badly affected by the trust's collapse".

In October 2019, WCAT entered into liquidation and ceased operation. The remaining funds were sufficient to cover outstanding liabilities, but none remained to return to the trust's former schools.

References

1. ^ "Wakefield City Academies Trust". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Department for Education. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
2. ^ "Wakefield City Academies Trust pulls out of 21 schools". BBC News. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
3. "Regulation of schools and academies with exempt charity status". gov.uk. Department for Education. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
4. ^ "Failing academy trust to pull out of 21 schools". The Guardian. Press Association. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
5. "Create Studio". get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. Department for Education. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
6. "Queen's birthday honours list 2014: OBE". The Guardian. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
7. Scott, Sophie (10 July 2015). "Wakefield academy trust praised in Ofsted's third focused inspection report". Schools Week. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
8. "Focused inspection of Wakefield City Academy Trust". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
9. Dickens, John (2 November 2015). "What do we know about the five academy chains set for £5m windfall to improve northern schools?". Schools Week. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
10. Dickens, John (28 April 2017). "The trusts given cash under £10m northern powerhouse pot". Schools Week. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
11. "Academy chain looking for new boss to replace Alan Yellup - on £395-a-day". Wakefield Express. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
12. Pells, Rachael (5 November 2016). "'Extreme concern' over academy trust that paid CEO £82k just three months". The Independent. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
13. Busby, Eleanor (3 November 2016). "Exclusive: 'Extreme' DfE concern over academy trust that paid CEO £82K for 15 weeks' work". Tes. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
14. ^ Sodha, Sonia (22 July 2018). "The great academy schools scandal". The Observer. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
15. Mason, Vivien (11 December 2016). "Two schools will no longer become part of Academies Trust". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
16. Dickens, John (5 May 2017). "WCAT appoints Chris Pickering chief executive". schoolsweek.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
17. Ward, Helen (12 September 2017). "Petition calls for Wakefield City Academies Trust schools to return to councils". Tes. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
18. Robertson, Alix (10 October 2017). "RSC pushed to rebroker WCAT schools NINE months before official announcements". Schools Week. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
19. "New sponsors for WCAT schools revealed". Schools Week. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
20. Perraudin, Frances (21 October 2017). "Collapsing academy trust 'asset-stripped its schools of millions'". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
21. ^ Perraudin, Frances (24 October 2017). "Labour urges ministers to 'come clean' over collapsed academy trust". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
22. Perraudin, Frances (6 December 2017). "Police investigate multi-academy trust accused of asset stripping". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
23. Hazell, Will (4 December 2017). "Police 'looking at' Wakefield City Academies Trust". Tes. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
24. "Collapsed academy police probe closed". BBC News. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
25. Roberts, John (15 November 2018). "DfE told scandal-hit WCAT to pool cash from its schools". www.tes.com. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
26. Staufenberg, Jess (11 January 2018). "Sponsors confirmed for 11 WCAT schools". Schools Week. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
27. ^ Hazell, Will (30 January 2018). "Outwood Grange confirmed as sponsor of six schools from failed Wakefield City Academies Trust". Tes. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
28. Edwards, John (29 March 2018). "Dear parents and carers" (PDF). Department for Education. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
29. Jackson, Sam (3 April 2018). "New trust takes over at Doncaster secondary school following shock withdrawal of sponsor". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
30. Kessen, David (2 March 2018). "Cost of PFI at Doncaster school hindering efforts to find new trust". Doncaster Free Press. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
31. Kessen, David (20 November 2018). "Delta Academies Trust completes takeover of Mexborough School". www.thestar.co.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
32. Roberts, John (31 January 2019). "Doomed WCAT chain finished year with £2m". Tes. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
33. Whittaker, Freddie (12 June 2019). "Give WCAT's leftover cash to schools it left behind, says MP". Schools Week. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
34. Perraudin, Frances (18 November 2019). "Yorkshire schools will not get back millions lost in trust's collapse". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Letter announcing the closure of the trust 9 September 2017

53°39′00″N 1°23′13″W / 53.650°N 1.387°W / 53.650; -1.387

• Academy trusts
• Educational institutions established in 2010
• 2010 establishments in England