Ministers failed us, claim disillusioned academy sponsors

MINISTERS have "abused" the good will of wealthy business figures who sponsored the Government's city academies, a study has warned.

Philanthropists - often wealthy men with little or no experience in education - agreed to pay millions of pounds towards transforming failing comprehensives. But many feel "disillusioned" and blame the Government for failing to give them enough public support.

The first academies opened under Tony Blair in 2002 in a radical drive to transform education in the poorest parts of the country.

In exchange for £2million, sponsors including church groups and businessmen, gained control over the running of the new, independent academies. But the scheme has been attacked by teachers' unions and Left-wing politicians who see it as privatisation of state education.

The first academies to open included Greig City Academy in Haringey, sponsored by the Church of England and the Business Academy, Bexley, sponsored with £2.5 million from property developer Sir David Garrard.

One sponsor said: "The Government has failed sponsors and academies. They have not stood up for them in the press and at a public level. I'm very disillusioned as are all early sponsors, when all we tried to do was to take a failing school and try to turn it around.

"It takes a lot to get me down. Our commitment to failing schools was a wonderful thing which has been abused."

The report for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said ministers would struggle to recruit enough high quality sponsors to meet their target to set up 400 academies.

Sponsors feel marginalised, the study said, and are concerned that senior figures in the academies department - such as ex-schools minister Lord Adonis - have moved jobs.