Academy trust with links to Edward Colston offers little sense of its history on its website

Should a charitable foundation which was deeply involved with the slave trade in the 17th to 19th centuries, and which now oversees nine schools including eight state-funded academies, be more upfront about its history?

The question arises amid the ongoing political fall-out to the toppling in Bristol last Sunday, during a Black Lives Matter protest, of a statue of Edward Colston, the late-17th and early-18th century merchant who was himself closely associated with slavery.

Colston was a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers, which reportedly put up the statue in 1895. On the society’s own website, it admits that it petitioned in 1690 to be allowed to join the slave trade; that it opposed slavery’s abolition in 1789 and that at one point a quarter of its members were directly involved in “this abhorrent trade”.

On Monday, the society reportedly responded to the statue’s toppling by saying that it would “continue to educate itself about systemic racism”.

However, a look at the website of the Venturers Trust, which runs eight academies in Bristol which are “sponsored” by the Society of Merchant Venturers, provides little insight into the latter’s past.

Under “Our Sponsors,” the Venturers Trust site says merely: “The Society of Merchant Venturers (SMV) is a philanthropic organisation whose increasingly diverse membership works with and supports people and communities from the wider Bristol area through education, care for older people, charitable giving and social enterprise…

“The Society’s expertise in education spans more than four centuries and today, the commitment is practical as well as financial, with many of its members taking active roles in the governance of Venturers Trust and the wide range of schools within the trust.”

This website page then gives a link to the 2018 annual report of the society, which itself barely mentions the debate about slavery. The society itself also reportedly sought to water down statements on slavery on the plaque next to Colston’s statue last year.

That said, one of the Venturers Trust’s first academies – itself named after the figure at the centre of this controversy- Colston’s Girls’ School – this week took some action in response, removing its own mini statue of the slave trader.

As of yesterday, the school itself was also featuring a page on its website on its connection to Colston. This mentions the slave trade, although this is only after focusing on his philanthropic work and with a statement that the school had decided not to abandon its name. The Bristol Post reported on Monday that the school was now “having ongoing discussions” about its use of Colston’s name, and the website page no longer seems accessible.

Alongside all the debate that this development has provoked, it should also prompt more discussion on the role of private philanthropy in education, as embraced by the academies policy and as investigated extensively by this website.

Controversial academy takeover happens – despite opposition even from local Tory MP

A former pupil who was spearheading a campaign to stop a secondary in Bury becoming an academy has reacted with dismay after the government pushed the takeover through – despite even the local Conservative MP saying it should have been put on hold during the Covid-19 crisis.

Prestwich Arts College became an academy under the Rowan Learning Trust last week – two months after the Bury South MP Christian Wakeford said he supported the campaign’s call to put the move on hold until December.

“I think there are much more important things for the DfE and council to be engaging with at this time due to the outbreak,” Wakeford had told the Bury Times.

Josh Harcup, who has been the face of the local campaign which he said had been backed by parents and most of the school’s staff, said: “I am appalled at the Rowan Learning Trust and DfE and RSC [Regional Schools Commissioner, Vicky Beer] pushing this through during a global pandemic.”

Harcup pointed me towards a recent message from the RSC’s office, which said: “I understand your concerns of converting during this difficult time, but I would like to reassure you that the decision has been made in-line with national guidance and is supported by the school, trust and local authority.”

However, the “in-line with national guidance” line seems questionable, given that it has proved possible for the DfE to put on hold conversions: it did so in the case of Moulsecoomb primary in Brighton, for instance, the academies minister declaring in April that she “wanted to give both the school and the LA the space to focus on immediate Covid-19 priorities”. It is not now scheduled to convert before January 1st.

I asked the Rowans why it had ploughed on with the conversion during the emergency. Its chief executive, Phil Rimmer, replied only to say that: “The conversion date was agreed by the DfE, local authority and trust.”

I then asked Bury council whether it had agreed – decision-making is usually between the government and the trust – and if so, why.

A spokesman replied: “The local authority is under a duty to facilitate academy conversions and therefore must have good reason to challenge the timescale or process of them.

“As regards Prestwich Arts College, we had undertaken and completed all the required staff consultations and legal work in regards to the conversion before the coronavirus lockdown. There was therefore no reason for us to oppose the original conversion date that had been agreed. Any decision to change or delay the conversion date would…be one for the DfE and the trust.”

Recognition for Matt Hood and Oak National Academy

There was modest satisfaction last week from Matt Hood, the “principal” of the online teaching provider Oak National Academy, after he was given a “Points of Light” award by our much-criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The DfE had tweeted out the news, saying that Hood had received the award from Johnson for “reinventing the classroom during lockdown”.

“This is kind and my mum will be chuffed. However all I’ve done is connect hard working teachers and school leaders…the recognition is all theirs,” Hood tweeted.

However, the award seemed to underline a striking division of opinion about Oak. As Education Uncovered revealed in April, the DfE used a little-known legal power to commit £300,000 to Oak, at short notice and without a competitive tender. It was promoted with a DfE press release, and has now been highlighted by Johnson, whose letter to Hood features on the “Points of Light” website.

In fact, it is the only education project to be highlighted on that website among its list of “recent winners”.

It was this sense of exclusivity – the use of state power to highlight a favoured project, when others in education had not been so recognised, at a time of great stress for many working in schools – which fired up some responses to Hood’s tweet.

Hannah Wilson, seemingly a headteacher, responded to the DfE’s tweet with the words: “The platform created is brilliant but this tweet is insensitive. Headteachers around the country have worked tirelessly to keep their communities safe.”

Another response said: “The irony her for me is that it’s his own institution – the DfE [Hood’s twitter profile lists himself as an ‘independent adviser’ to the department] – that should have been at the centre of this – and had the capability to put this in place, sadly their lack of understanding has been rife at every level.”

Another said: “How nice but what about the rest of the teaching staff who had to change how they set up school at the drop of a hat? The DfE backed Oak Academy. Our PM shows again that he’s insensitive.”

Another said: “Sorry but I think this is in poor taste too. You wouldn’t award one hospital for it’s [sic] sterling working during the crisis. The dark side of praise.”

Many tweets congratulated Hood, it should be acknowledged, including some parents, one saying: “As a parent with no return to school in sight for my year 5 child thank you.”

However, as my piece in April reported, this initiative has many links to groups and individuals which themselves are closely tied to the DfE and its academies and traditionalist teaching agendas. With this award, and the ongoing academisation drive, sadly it seems as if agenda-promotion remains important to this government, even during this crisis.