Hinchingbrooke head to leave over 'top-slicing' concerns with ACES Trust

Mark Patterson said he leaves with a heavy heart and does not have another job to go to

The head teacher of a prominent academy said he was leaving over concerns about the "top-slicing" of the school budget.

Mark Patterson wrote to parents on Wednesday and said he would depart Hinchingbrooke School, Huntingdon, at the end of the year.

He cited "grave concerns" and claimed the trust had taken "around three quarters of a million pounds each year" from the school's budget.

The ACES Trust said money was spent on "ensuring the best education".

Mark Patterson has been the head teacher at Hinchingbrooke School for four years. The academy currently has 2,058 students.

In a letter to parents Mr Patterson said: "I leave with a heavy heart - I am not retiring, and I do not have another job to go to (as I write this).

"I am leaving because I have raised significant concerns with the ACES* Trust Board around the leadership of the trust, how the trust operates at its top levels, and the high amount that the trust takes from the ACES schools' budgets (often called the 'top-slice', the trust top-slices around three quarters of a million pounds each year from Hinchingbrooke School's budget).

"And the trustees have said that they do not share my concerns and they are not prepared to act on any of them."

Hinchingbrooke School currently has more than 2,000 students

One parent, who has two children at the school, but who wishes to remain anonymous, told the BBC: "It's clear that the trust has put an enormous amount of pressure on the leaders of schools who are part of the trust. Mr Patterson has clearly had enough.

"The trust need to be held as much to account as the schools within it.

"Where has the £750,000 gone? Why was it not spent on the school for which it was intended?"

'Absolutely criminal'

There has also been widespread comment on social media.

One contributor wrote: "The dominoes are about to fall and the failure of academies to deliver services...well done to the headmaster of Hinchingbrooke for having integrity."

Another said: "Three quarters of a million pounds a year 'top slice' taken from the schools budget. No doubt direct into CEOs and other academy staff's bank accounts. Absolutely criminal!"

According to the trust's website it runs five academies including, Godmanchester Community Academy, Cromwell Academy, Godmanchester Bridge Academy and Spaldwick Primary School.

Mr Patterson said his concerns had been shared with other ACES trust schools.

He added: "Last summer all of the ACES Headteachers co-wrote a statement to the ACES Trust Board and the chief executive outlining our concerns and we made a number of proposals for change - very little has changed as a result."

Brian Message, chair of trustees at the ACES Academies Trust, said: "Mark's decision to leave the school came after he internally voiced his disagreement with the board's plans for future growth and development. We are saddened that he did not share our aspirations and we are disappointed that our attempts to resolve his concerns were not acceptable to him."

He added: "The practice of 'top slicing' has been raised, and we would like to assure you that this is a standard funding model used by many similar-sized multi academy trusts and local authorities.

"Top slicing means a [trust] takes a proportion of each academy's budget which is used to provide essential services. This amount is usually less than 10% for a [trust] of our size as is the situation in ACES. Thanks to increased buying power, this model means we can achieve greater efficiencies. In exchange, the school is provided with services such as school Improvement, IT, HR, finance and estates from a central budget.

"In Hinchingbrooke's case, for example, we wanted to keep estate management in-house because we have a Grade I listed building and outsourcing the cost of the upkeep of classrooms, buildings, heating, lighting and water would certainly be more expensive. So, while any top-slicing goes into a central pot it is still spent on ensuring the best education for your children."

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