Academy trust “twice offered to turn free school into school focusing on special needs provision but was rebuffed by DfE,” local MP states

Avanti Hall School, in Exeter in Devon

A locally-based academy trust twice made offers to take over a free school which has been struggling for pupil numbers and turn it into a special school*, but was rebuffed by the government, its local Labour MP has told Education Uncovered.

Ben Bradshaw, MP for Exeter in Devon, said that the Ted Wragg Trust, which runs all four secondary schools and three primaries in the constituency, had made the offer after what is now the Avanti Hall School had failed an Ofsted inspection as a Steiner free school back in 2018.

Then, earlier this year, the Ted Wragg trust had tried again, he said, as the north London-based Avanti Schools Trust was poised to pull out of running Avanti Hall, after it took it over from the school’s previous Steiner trust in 2019.

Mr Bradshaw’s comments help to explain a question he asked in the House of Commons on Monday, and which Education Uncovered reported on yesterday.