BRADFORD Council has been urged not to “wash its hands” of academy schools that are taken out of its control.

Local authorities have no say over schools that become academies, but Councillor David Ward (Ind, Bolton and Undercliffe) feels that more should be done by Bradford Council to hold academies and academy chains to account when things go wrong.

He has even suggested a new body that would look to prevent issues like the withdrawal of Wakefield Cities Academies Trust from its schools earlier this year.

In September the trust announced it would be withdrawing from all 21 of its schools, including three in Bradford.

The trust had already pulled out of a planned takeover of University Academy Keighley and Hanson School last year.

Concerns have been raised in recent weeks that some of the schools may lose out financially from WCAT’s decision, and Wakefield Council has referred the situation to West Yorkshire Police, who say they are “looking at” information about the trust’s actions. No crimes have been recorded.

Academy chains are appointed by the Regional Schools’ Commissioner for Yorkshire, but Cllr Ward said Bradford Council should not rely on one person to make sure academies in Bradford are being run properly.

He will ask a question at the meeting of Bradford Council today, saying: “What due diligence measures did the Portfolio holder take to ensure that Wakefield City Academies Trust was a suitable sponsor for Bradford schools and has the Portfolio holder followed Wakefield Council’s lead in referring WCAT to the police?”

Cllr Ward told the Telegraph & Argus: “The Council simply can’t say academies are free agents.

“These are Bradford children in publicly funded schools, and there needs to be some sort of independent monitoring board within the council looking at what is going on at academies.

“The Regional Schools Commissioner has to cover all the academies in the region so they simply can’t give the level of monitoring and accountability required. The Council can’t wash its hands of the responsibility for making sure academies are doing what they should be doing.”

Councillor Imran Khan, executive for education on Bradford Council, said: “Academy sponsors are chosen entirely by Government.

“Whilst we in Bradford District do our best to work with all schools because they are Bradford children, we do not have the powers that Cllr Ward suggests.”

Ian Murch, Bradford spokesman for the National Education Union, said: “I certainly think the Council needs to learn any lessons it can from what happened with WCAT.

“It is really up to the regional schools commissioner to keep an eye on how academies are being run. The Council shouldn’t have to do what David is suggesting, but we have to get to a point where the council aren’t willing to take excuses from the commissioner.

“I don’t think the Council is the villain in this case, but it does have to learn lessons, and make much more of a fuss when things don’t go right.

“There should be two stages - when academy chains are proposed for local schools there should be checks on their suitability, and when things go wrong the council needs to do as much as possible to see why.”

The meeting starts at 4pm in City Hall.