Chain of Christian free schools to be wound up

One of England’s largest chains of free schools is being wound up after years of financial problems, Education Uncovered can reveal.

Chapel Street Community Schools Trust is handing all seven of its schools – five frees and two other academies – to new chains, parents at a Chapel Street school which is in special measures have been told.

The news comes after Education Uncovered sought, without success, to get answers from the trust and the Department for Education as to why the trust’s 2018-19 accounts had yet to be published, and what the result was of a DfE meeting held back in November had been.

Background and detail

The Chapel Street trust, based in Merton, south London, was founded in December 2011 and was funded by the DfE to open its first free school – Atherton near Wigan in Lancashire – in September 2012. It then was allowed to open a further five schools over the period September 2013 to September 2014, with a final one following in September 2015.