Academy trust loaned now-suspended headteacher and former CEO �55,000

The �135,000-a-year former chief executive of a crisis-torn academy trust was loaned �55,000 last academic year from its funds, its annual accounts have revealed.

Paul Murphy, former chief executive of the eight-school Education for the 21^st Century (E21C) trust - who remains suspended as the head of one of its schools - was allocated the amount as an “advance”, the accounts state.

The trust has not answered questions from Education Uncovered on what the terms were, or when the money must be repaid.

An investigation report on the trust by the government’s Education and Skills Funding Agency last October stated that the trust was in talks with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs about an unpaid tax bill relating to payments to a company owned by Murphy, leading to speculation that the £55,000 loan could be related to this. But, again, the trust would not say if that were the case.

The loan was included within related party declarations within E21C’s 2017-18 accounts which together amount to nearly £200,000.