Clear-out of governors at school recently taken over by Lord Nash’s Future Academies, as headteacher announces he’s leaving, too

The headteacher and, I understand, most if not all of the governing body of an academy which was taken over by a high-profile chain earlier this year are standing down.

Jon Hebblethwaite, principal of Bushey Academy in Hertfordshire, told staff earlier this month that he was leaving after three years at the helm. He gave no indication of future plans, saying only that he was departing to “explore other opportunities”. Parents are understood to have been told last week.

The move comes with local governors appearing to have fallen out with the chain running it: London-based Future Academies, which of course is overseen by the former academies minister and Tory peer and donor, Lord Nash and his wife Caroline.

I understand that at least four people on the governing body, including the chair, Mark Harmon, who DfE records say had served as a governor since 2009, stood down in the months April to June. The remaining members were expected to be leaving last week. The 10 governors appear to have had a combined 46 years of service on this local body.

It is not clear why Hebblethwaite has left, and I am not aware of any announcement from Future as to who his replacement is to be. Future has said that the principal had told it “earlier this term” of his intention to leave and that it “thank[ed] him for his hard work and dedication” in improving the school.