The Department for Education and the government’s Insolvency Service have signed an agreement to regularly share information about academy trusts – making it easier to ban trustees who flout the rules.
A new memorandum of understanding (MoU) seeks to “facilitate the regular exchange of information” between the two organisations, which “need to be able to share information, in particular information relating to misconduct, investigations and enforcement within their respective remits”.
The DfE already has the power to ban people from being a school governor or trustee, but is restricted on what it can investigate about them beyond their work in the education sector. Equally, those banned from being directors of academy trusts can still be directors of other companies not involved in the running of schools.
The Insolvency Service, on the other hand, can disqualify people from being a director of any company, and the MoU seeks to make it easier for the DfE to tip them off if it suspects foul play.
