AT LEAST 30 people - including parents, former teachers and school governors, and an MP – attended a public meeting to discuss concerns over the running of York’s South Bank Multi Academy Trust.

The meeting – at Southlands Methodist Church on November 30 – heard what Micklegate ward councillor Pete Kilbane described afterwards as ‘heart-rending first-hand reports of our most vulnerable students and families being poorly served by South Bank MAT, and of teachers afraid to speak out publicly about their concerns’.

One parent told the meeting they felt they were ‘effectively combatants fighting for their children'.

The meeting was called by Micklegate councillors after the entire governing body of Scarcroft Primary School resigned in September following what outgoing governors called an ‘irreparable breakdown in trust and communication’ with the academy trust, to which the school belongs.

Representatives from the academy trust were invited to attend the meeting - but declined, claiming that publicity around the meeting, including a letter from the Micklegate councillors to the York Press, had caused "considerable distress to colleagues in our Trust, including furthering untrue allegations about their suitability for a senior role".

The trust added: "We are deeply concerned a meeting held under these circumstances will only cause further distress and damage to individual reputations."

A spokesperson for the trust added in a statement that the trust would "not be adding more layers of governance by engaging with public meetings, campaign groups or third parties".

Among those who did attend were York Central MP Rachael Maskell, former Scarcroft governor John Bryan - and Cllr Bob Webb, City of York Council’s executive member for children, young people and education.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Webb told The Press: “Having heard from different communities linked to the various schools within South Bank MAT, we will feed these views back to the schools confidentially and hope they are taken seriously by school leaders.”

Micklegate councillor Cllr Kilbane added: “We have been working with parents and staff for over a year to try and resolve these issues and invited South Bank MAT to (the) meeting, but once again it refused to engage.

“Parents are desperate for positive change that supports their children’s education, and we will continue to do all we can to help them secure that change.”

MP Ms Maskell, who last week raised concerns in Parliament about the academy trust’s accountability, told The Press after the meeting: “The teachers and support staff are doing their very best, but … there has ultimately got to be greater accountability of the MAT leadership when there are so many valid concerns from parents and children.”

In a statement, the academy trust said: “Our governance arrangements are in line with the requirements of the DfE and our articles of association.

"We will not be adding more layers of governance by engaging with public meetings, campaign groups or third parties.

“Local authorities and local councillors do not have any involvement, authority or remit in the organisation and operation of Multi Academy Trusts.

“As a Trust, we would always want to engage with any parents who have questions, comments or concerns about their child’s education.

"Therefore, we ask again that any parents who may have specific, genuine concerns, to raise these through the proper channels; directly with their child’s school.”