Academy rapped over consultancy payments to chair of trustees

A special school that paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to consultants, including one who served as its chair of trustees and chief finance officer, has been criticised by education funding chiefs.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency has published a report on its financial management and governance review of Woodfield School, a special school in Brent which became a standalone academy in April 2014.

The school, rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, was found to have breached academy funding rules through a  lack of transparency, conflicts of interests, breaches of procurement requirements and by failing to ensure work by related parties was carried out at-cost.