A BRADFORD MP has once again called on the Government demand a failed academies trust return hundreds of thousands of pounds to two Bradford schools.

Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, made the demands at a recent meeting with the Government’s minister for the school system, Lord Agnew.

When the Wakefield City Academies Trust collapsed in September last year, the two schools it ran in Bradford, Barkerend Academy and Thornbury Academy, were left around £300,000 out of pocket, after assets from the schools had been transferred to the Trust’s central pot.

During the meeting with Lord Agnew, Mr Hussain raised concerns about the transfer of assets from funds the schools had already set aside before they were taken over by the Trust.

He said the money “rightly belonged” to the schools, and demanded the Department for Education work to refund the schools.

Mr Hussain also told the minister concerns with the Trust should have been spotted earlier and called for inspection reports of the Trust to be published.

Mr Hussain said: “We are now approaching the end of the academic year, yet neither Barkerend nor Thornbury Academy has seen a full return of money.

“I have demanded that the minister accept that this was not the Trust’s money and so must be returned to the schools as soon as possible.

“Whilst the return of funding that was stripped from the schools is key to resolving this situation, we also need to see a thorough review of the Department for Education’s unacceptable decision to allow the Trust to continue running schools in Bradford.

“There have long been serious worries about the lack of accountability of academies, with responsibility for all academies falling on the Secretary of State for Education through the Regional Schools Commissioners rather than the local authority, and it is clear to see through the collapse of the Trust that these worries are well-founded.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: “We have always been clear that the Wakefield City Academy Trust will not be able to retain any surpluses when it dissolves.

"As is always the case with academy trusts, funds belong to the trust, not individual schools.

"As such, any surplus funds belonging to the WCAT trust that remain after its wind-up will be redistributed fairly to the new trusts for them to allocate to individual academies to make sure each school gets the resources that they need. 

“In any instances where funds were contractually committed to specific projects before WCAT dissolved, that money will be honoured so that no projects are disrupted.

“We have worked with all the new trusts for formerly WCAT academies to ensure each school has the resources needed – including funding – to improve pupil outcomes and provide a stable future for the school.

"Both Barkerend and Thornbury Primary Leadership Academies are receiving such resources through their new trust.”