Employment in the family: is this the highest number of related party transactions in an academy trust?
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Gorse Academies Trust has multiple declarations of employment of family members set out in its accounts.
A prominent academy trust headed by a £230,000-a-year chief executive has employed his wife, daughter and sister in recent years, while also giving work to his nephew’s company.
Gorse Academies Trust, which is just outside England’s top 50 largest chains, has also made multiple declarations about the employment of family members of other senior employees and trustees in recent sets of accounts.
The organisation may have the most “related party” disclosures of any academy trust – an aspect of the academies policy which can continue to excite debate and controversy on the ground. Gorse said in response that all appointments had been “made in open competition,” with no relation having had “any involvement in the recruitment decision-making process”.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 13 March 2025
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"no relation having had any involvement in the recruitment decision-making process" whilst this might be true if you are interviewing the boss's wife or daughter then there is without doubt some influence taking place - they will know who is on the interview panel and would have access to notes / minutes etc... As ever and as so often it looks at best dodgy, the "we didn't break the rules" statement when either they have written the rules or they oversea the rules - we have seen this so often with MPs, the DfE, Ofsted, MATs etc... if it smells bad ...