Five complaints made to council over new schools

Several formal complaints have been sent to a council concerning an academy trust that has taken over three schools in Essex.

The Mossbourne Federation started running two secondaries and a primary school in Thurrock this year.

Thurrock Council has outlined five complaints, which include concerns about an accident which happened during a class and the way teachers were locked out of one of the schools during industrial action.

The trust has so far declined to comment.

In December, the trust was accused of presiding over a "toxic culture" towards its pupils in Hackney, east London.

Councillors are due to discuss the complaints - detailed in published documents - at a meeting on Tuesday.

"Concerns around the Mossbourne Trust continue," said independent councillor Neil Speight, who chairs the local authority's pupil overview and scrutiny committee.

"I am watching closely events that are taking place in Hackney, where I understand matters in Thurrock are now being discussed as part of a probe into the effectiveness of the Mossbourne mantra."

When Mossbourne Federation formally took over the running of the schools on 31 December, it changed their names.

Ortu Gable Hall School in Corringham became Mossbourne Fobbing Academy; Ortu Hassenbrook Academy became Mossbourne Port Side Academy; and Corringham Primary School became Mossbourne Herd Lane Academy.

The council said it was first told, on 23 December, of two complaints made by parents about safeguarding within the trust.

On 7 January, it said it was forwarded two more complaints made to Ofsted about Mossbourne Fobbing Academy.

A student complained about how teachers were locked out of buildings during industrial action and an anonymous member of staff complained how a particular teacher managed a serious accident during a class.

On 4 February, the council said it received another complaint via Ofsted, this time about safeguarding at Mossbourne Port Side.

Peter Hughes, chief executive officer, defended the trust's teaching style during an interview on BBC Essex in January.

"I'm absolutely confident by our approach, we have seen huge success and we have seen children who are going on to lead amazing lives," he said.

"I think there's a lot of people not looking at the facts."

Hassenbrook Academy was rated "requires improvement" before the new trust took over, and Gable Hall had been rated "inadequate".

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