Lubavitch MAT told by DfE it needs parental support

The Department for Education has told the Lubavitch Multi-Academy Trust it could face closure if it did not enjoy the confidence of parents.

It follows a protest to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson last month by parents of pupils at schools under the trust’s aegis who feared the dilution of its religious ethos.

The trust, which was set up in 2018 to run the state-aided Lubavitch senior girls, junior girls and junior boys’ schools, has five non-Lubavitch members on its board including its chairman and three from the Lubavitch community.

In a letter to the trust board, the DfE’s regional schools commissioner for East England and North-East London, Sue Baldwin, thanked its members for their “exceptional contribution” and “commitment to improving outcomes”.

She said there was “much to be proud of and that is why we are concerned by recent developments which have come to light following correspondence from parents to the chair of the trust and the publication of a letter from the parents in the Jewish Chronicle”.

She understood the concerns centred on “non-Lubavitch appointments to the board and the assertion that these are diluting the religious ethos of the academies.

“This seems to have led to increasing tensions between the community and the leadership at the trust and such tensions, if not overcome, will only serve to threaten the future success of the trust.”

The JC ran a news story on the letter to Mr Williamson last month.

Ms Baldwin said the trust had come “a long way” since 2018, “from financial crisis to a sustainable business model that will secure the ethos of the schools”.

The girls schools continued to perform well, she said, while the boys school might have moved out of its inadequate ranking had Ofsted been able to inspect it in summer.

Ms Baldwin said she knew that the overall mix of membership “between those of the Jewish faith and those not” had not changed since the trust began.

It had struggled to recruit key posts such as a chief executive because of “a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced applicants”, she acknowledged.

Supporting the recent recruitment of an interim chief executive for two terms who had “experience and skills and is seconded from a strong trust”, she said it would gave time to secure a permanent appointment.

But she added, “Importantly, if the trust does not have the support of the parents and community and the trust becomes unviable as a result, I am not confident the future of the trust can be guaranteed.

“In such an unfortunate position it would become necessary to consider options for moving forward, which I realise may include closure of the trust. As I am sure you will appreciate, this is something we are very keen to avoid.”

The DfE had provided “a great deal of financial support and expertise” to assist but “closure of the trust is something we would need to consider if these concerns impact adversely on the important business of ensuring children are receiving a good quality education and the smooth operation of the trust”.

The trust was approached for comment.

A representative of the parents who protested welcomed the letter which “demonstrates that the DfE shares our concerns” but added, “We have no confidence that the MAT seeks to represent our ethos and values and provide a robust education which would satisfy both our needs and those of the DfE, which we view as wholly compatible.”