Ofsted criticises England's largest academy chain

The inspectorate said that almost half of pupils at secondary schools run by the Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) are in schools that are "less than good".

Meanwhile around 40 per cent of children at primary schools run by AET do not receive an acceptable level of education.

Children from poor backgrounds do particularly badly in the trust, states a letter sent from Ofsted to the chief executive of AET following an inspection of seven of the chain's schools in November last year, as well as telephone conversations with a further 18.

AET, which was set up in 2008, runs a total of 67 academies across England. In 2014 it was issued with a financial notice to improve.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said Ofsted's findings are part of a wider problem.

“The government continues to promote the expansion of academies and the growth of chains against all the evidence," she said.

"Academies have not been shown to promote improvement in headline grades, or reduce the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

“True accountability is not provided by occasional Ofsted investigations of academy chains. Proper scrutiny of these organisations is needed but unfortunately we are going backwards."

Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said: “AET is failing to give too many of its pupils a good education. It is an academy chain that went for growth rather than establishing effective structures to support its schools.

"There are lessons, here, for the government. Multi-academy trusts are not a panacea. Only three of the top academy chains currently reach the standards of council-maintained schools.
 
“Ofsted criticisms of AET are mirrored in their reports on other failing academy chains. As the public accounts committee has concluded, the government has yet to devise any effective means of holding academy chains, which can operate throughout the country, to account.”