“If we have to reveal it, we have to”: How academy trust at centre of behaviour row spent £400,000 on legal fees

The Mossbourne Federation, which describes itself as having a “no excuses” philosophy of “tough love,” spent the money on bringing in a top barrister to conduct a “parallel” review alongside a statutory safeguarding investigation into behaviour management practice at one of its schools, and on using solicitors to interact with the latter.

 

An academy trust at the centre of a national row over the behaviour management policies of one of its schools spent £400,000 on legal costs associated with its reaction to a high-profile safeguarding review which had been highly critical of its practices, Education Uncovered can reveal.

The Mossbourne Federation spent the equivalent of nearly £500 for each of the pupils at the school which faced the review, on legal costs including its own investigation carried out by an expensive barrister, and in contracting solicitors to deal with questions about its behaviour management practices.

The revelations, in relation to its response to Sir Alan Wood’s statutory safeguarding review which had found a “climate of fear” in operation at Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy in Hackney, in East London, will raise questions about the seven-school academy chain’s use of public money.

Mossbourne’s legal costs were released following a Freedom of Information request by Education Uncovered, after Sir Alan Wood’s review report itself had highlighted concerns about the trust’s use of a-then unspecified amount of public money on legal fees.

Possibly by accident, the trust also released its internal deliberations on whether or not to release the information requested. Part of my request was refused. But on the total amount spent, the emails show a senior figure at the trust conceding, on whether or not to comply with freedom of information law and release figures: “If we have to comply (and I agree, we probably do), then we have to.”

Jim Gamble, Hackney’s independent safeguarding children and young people’s commissioner who oversaw the report, said the £400,000 spending was “highly questionable” as a use of public resources. 

The Mossbourne Federation has yet to respond to a follow-up request for comment from Education Uncovered.