Academy trust boss was paid second salary

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-35890448

Damning reports show problems at Perry Beeches were more than a little confusion over the law

http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2016/03/damning-reports-show-problems-at-perry-beeches-were-more-than-a-little-confusion-over-the-law

by Janet Downs

Posted: 24 Mar, 2016

‘I’m not a businessman,’ Liam Nolan, director and Accounting Officer of Perry Beeches Academies Trust (PBAT), told the BBC when news broke that the trust had been told to sort out its finances, ‘I’m a headteacher.’

Nolan gave the impression he was out of his depth and didn’t have the business expertise to run an academy trust. But the Financial Notice to Improve, dated 8 March 2016 but only just published, and two critical reports also published today (here and here) show the situation was more serious than confusion over legalities.

It appears Nolan had sufficient business expertise to become involved in a complicated arrangement with Nexus Ltd, a ‘third party supplier’ to PBAT. Nexus provided ‘the services of a CEO’ for PBAT but subcontracted the role to Liam Nolan Ltd, a private limited company whose sole director was Nolan. The Education Funding Agency (EFA) said this arrangement not only breached the Academies Financial Handbook but also contravened Treasury guidance ‘about the employment and contract arrangements of individuals on the avoidance of tax’.

Payments made to Nolan via Nexus and Liam Nolan Ltd were not disclosed in the 2013/14 PBAT accounts, the EFA found. This breached Charities Commission rules relating to remuneration received by Charity Trustees.

PBAT trustees had approved this arrangement on three separate occasions – this again breached Treasury rules. It also represented a failure by trustees in their stewardship of public funds.

The EFA found failures around procurement. PBAT had no written contract with Nexus despite spending £1,297,712 over two academic years. Neither did the trust have an ‘adequately detailed tendering policy’. The EFA judged the trust to have ‘almost no detail’ on how to show value for money.

Conflicts of interest were not appropriately managed. Trustees failed ‘to have appropriate internal control arrangements’. This laxity could increase the risk of fraud, the EFA said. The trustees could not ‘provide assurance of high standards of probity in the management of public funds.’

There was no written contract with Nexus and no written checks on goods and services received. This significantly increased the risk that ‘health and safety services provided by Nexus may not meet statutory requirements’. This was a‘potential breach’ of Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

The EFA said ‘Urgent action is required to strengthen governance, financial procedures and management arrangements and ensure trustees fully understand their obligations as company directors and charity trustees.’

Liam Nolan Ltd has now been dissolved. Companies House records show winding up began on 14 March 2016 shortly after the Financial Notice to Improve was issued.

In a second EFA report investigating the number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM), the EFA found the trust had breached the Academies Financial Handbook by not keeping any form of FSM eligibility evidence for a period of six years. Because of the lack of documentary evidence, the EFA was unable to determine whether pupils listed as FSM were eligible or not.

Perry Beeches Academy Trust joins Cuckoo Hall Academies Trust, Durand Academy Trust and Barnfield Federation as academy trusts highly praised by ex-Education Secretary Michael Gove but which have been criticised for their finances. Gove exhorted other schools to follow the examples set by these paragons. It’s to be hoped other schools do not.

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http://www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk/2016/03/the-la-used-to-do-all-that-stuff-says-ceo-of-trust-told-to-improve-its-finances

The LA used to do all that stuff, says CEO of trust told to improve its Finances

by Janet Downs

Posted: 23 Mar, 2016

Perry Beeches, Birmingham, a favourite academy of Michael Gove when he was Education Secretary and equally praised by his successor Nicky Morgan, has been served with a Financial Notice to Improve.

The Academy Trust runs five academies and free schools in Birmingham. Two of the Trust’s academies are Outstanding but Perry Beeches III was judged Inadequate in May 2015. Inspectors recommended a review of governance and the school’s use of Pupil Premium and catch-up funding.

Monitoring of Perry Beeches III in December shows the school is taking effective action to remove special measures but yesterday came news that Perry Beeches Academies Trust has been issued with a Financial Notice to Improve. The letter isn’t on the Department for Education’s website yet but a television report gives details (about 9 mins, 30 secs in)

The Trust has been criticised for its lack of understanding of such things as contracts, services, tax law and employment law. These had been handled centrally when Perry Beeches had been a community school under the stewardship of the local authority, Liam Nolan, Perry Beeches CEO, said.

Nolan told the BBC he is now giving up the business side of running the multi-academy trust (MAT).

‘I’m not a business manager, I’m a headteacher,’ he told the programme.

Academy conversion was sold (and still is sold) as bringing freedom and autonomy. Perry Beeches chose this route in April 2012 and was quick to open its first free school, Perry Beeches II five months later. The MAT grew further until it reached its present size.

But the extra autonomy doesn’t amount to much – non-academies can do most things academies can do. And non-academies don’t have to grapple with the legal, administrative and financial burdens of being both a charitable trust and a company. Non-academies are free from such responsibilities and can concentrate on education. This is what Liam Nolan belatedly says he wishes to do.

The Government’s latest White Paper requires all schools to become academies by 2022. It wants ‘great leaders’ to come forward to run MATs. Liam Nolan was hailed as just such a great leader but he’s honest enough to admit he didn’t have the acumen to run a MAT. Nevertheless, Perry Beeches Academies Trust proposes to expand further.

In the circumstances it seems unwise to allow a multi-academy trust already struggling with its finances and with a school in special measures to run two more schools.

UPDATE 24 March 2016 11.34 Perry Beeches III appeared as a case study in the2012/13 Academies Annual Report, the DfE's yearly puff piece about academies. That was before Perry Beeches III was judged Inadequate. The Financial Notice to Improve still hasn't appeared on the DfE website.

UPDATE 24 March 2016 13.48 Schools Week reports on the Financial Notice to Improve which is now released. Seems rather more serious than we were led to believe from the BBC interview