Athena parents call for complaints against academies to be put on same footing as those in local authority schools

Families should have access to independent consideration of their concerns, with DfE having “confirmed” that the only organisations which do so within the academies sector are the trusts themselves.

A group of parents, who were among those raising concerns about behaviour management policies at an academy trust which is now to be disbanded, are publishing a series of national policy recommendations which they hope will draw attention to what they see as systemic weaknesses.

Concerned Carers Ltd, a non-profit set up by several parents involved in the public debate around the policies of the Athena Learning Trust, are arguing that the rules around academies’ handling of complaints from parents should be put on the same legal footing as those covering non-academies.

They are arguing that parents should be able to access independent consideration of their concerns, having pointed out that complaints are currently handled entirely by academy trusts, with an outside organisation such as central or local government unable to intervene on the substance.

They also argue that parents, staff and the local authority should be consulted before the Department for Education makes a decision to transfer a school from one academy trust to another. And ministers should set “minimum standards” for school behaviour policies, they state.

The move comes with another Athena parent also now having started a petition calling for greater answerability and transparency for multi-academy trusts, and for the government to review their behaviour policies.