Its executive chair is the former Liberal Democrat schools minister, David Laws, another Ark Schools adviser. It promises to investigate and report on the flagship academies policy, yet the institute’s chair of trustees is Sir Paul Marshall, also trustee of the prominent academy chain Ark. RSCs have been enthusiastically promoting ministers’ all-academy vision for schools, which raises the question of a possible conflict of interest for an RSC governor in this situation. The question is being asked of Dominic Herrington, RSC for south London, who is vice-chair of governors at Goodrich community primary in East Dulwich, south London. The institute also has a wider circle of advisers, who seem less linked to chains, and we note a recent open-minded press release on academies from CentreForum.

Source: The Guardian July 05, 2016 05:37 UTC