Catholic academies fail poorer pupils’

A Multi-Academy trust that runs 36 Catholic schools in the diocese of Plymouth is letting down its most disadvantaged pupils, Ofsted has said, write Rose Gamble and Megan Cornwell.

The Government’s schools inspections watchdog carried out focused inspections of 10 of the 36 schools run by the Plymouth CAST trust in October of this year and found that the trust is failing in its mission to enable “children of all abilities and background to flourish.”

The report also raises concerns over the trust’s failure to account for the impact of an extra £2 million of additional government funding, which was given to the trust to support disadvantaged pupils in 2014.

“The CEO, the trust board and the trust’s area advisers cannot explain how this funding has been used and what difference it has made to improve the achievements of these pupils,” said the report, concluding: “The answer, is not nearly enough.”

Six of the 10 schools inspected were judged to require improvement or as inadequate. Some, Ofsted said, had seen a marked decline since they had joined the trust, which runs schools in Cornwall, Devon and Somerset.

Ofsted also criticised the leadership of Plymouth CAST saying the chief executive and its directors do not have “sufficient understanding of school performance”. The trust’s chief executive, John Mannix, has been placed on leave, a spokeswoman confirmed.

The Bishop of Plymouth, Mark O’Toole, who is responsible for appointing trust directors, said in a statement: “Catholic schools have a reputation for excellence and supporting students to achieve their best. It is clear that Plymouth CAST has not been reaching that benchmark in some schools and we must move quickly to put things right.”