As the JR GMB staff vote to take strike action over the UST's failure to provide assurances regarding working conditions and union rights Steve Oakes, Greenwich GMB rep, has this to say ... "The academy system in a nutshell - UST are charging the John Roan 10 times what it would cost the LA to provide services. This is going to cause redundancies. The system is flawed. Stop it now." Follow Steve on @steveoakes1234
December 2018 - Latest Budget Information
Following a Freedom of Information Request (FOI) staff and parents have uncovered that since April 2017 over £551K has been spent and £438k committed to, 'bought in professional services-curriculum' (consultants) - a total of £989K. This is a staggering financial blow to the budget of the school, especially in this climate of school cuts. The annual school budget is roughly £10 million - so 10% of the yearly budget on Consultants!!! This is what it has cost the school just to have the UST 'advising' the school. If Academisation occurs, on top of this pattern of 'consultancy fees', the UST would demand a top slice of 5% of our budget for running costs, which would mean at least another £500K being sucked out of the school every year. If this concerns you please contact Dominic Herrington (Regional Schools Commissioner) at rsc.sesl@education.gov.uk; David Gardner (Greenwich Childrens' Services) at david.gardner@royalgreenwich.gov.uk; and Greenwich Labour MP at matthew.pennycook.mp@parliament.uk.
The Corporate Structure behind the UST
"The UST has among its partners, XL Catlin and Wates, the construction company. XL Catlin was originally formed in the Cayman Islands and is part of the XL Group, headquartered in Bermuda. The Cayman Islands and Bermuda are tax havens. As a partner, XL Catlin will appoint a trustee who oversees the management of the Trust. The trustees are in charge of the Trust and the schools under the management of the Trust. They are responsible for the assets, finances, and policies of the schools. This September XL Catlin and the XL Group were bought up by AXA, the French-based multinational finance and insurance company. AXA is primarily owned in the USA and France. Its directors are drawn from Rothschild, JP Morgan, HSBC, Virgin Money, Tesco, Alstom and so on. They are not educationalists. They are in business to make profits and that is their priority and has to be so - over and above the needs of children. Such a concentration of financial power is taking over our schools." Thanks to a parent for sharing their research.
more parental research...
AXA's biggest shareholder is BlackRock Inc. BlackRock has its headquarters in New York and is described as the 'world's largest asset manager' and the 'world's largest shadow bank', with assets of $6.3 tr under its control. This sum is more than double the size of the UK's GDP. BlackRock is a major share holder of Britain's four largest property developers: Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Barratts and the Bereley Group. Blackrock is also a major stakeholder in Travis Perkins, the largest supplier to the British construction industry, and in the estate agents Savills. As stated above the other corporate partner in the UST is Wates Construction, part of the Wates Group, which completed the redevelopment work on John Roan School in 2014.
Why the interest in property development? According to the ONS 'the value of land has grown rapidly from 1995, increasing by 412% compared with an average of 211% in the assets overlying the land'. As Mark Twain put it: "buy land, they aren't making it anymore".
more parental research...
AXA's biggest shareholder is BlackRock Inc. BlackRock has its headquarters in New York and is described as the 'world's largest asset manager' and the 'world's largest shadow bank', with assets of $6.3 tr under its control. This sum is more than double the size of the UK's GDP. BlackRock is a major share holder of Britain's four largest property developers: Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Barratts and the Bereley Group. Blackrock is also a major stakeholder in Travis Perkins, the largest supplier to the British construction industry, and in the estate agents Savills. As stated above the other corporate partner in the UST is Wates Construction, part of the Wates Group, which completed the redevelopment work on John Roan School in 2014.
Why the interest in property development? According to the ONS 'the value of land has grown rapidly from 1995, increasing by 412% compared with an average of 211% in the assets overlying the land'. As Mark Twain put it: "buy land, they aren't making it anymore".
Recent Information on the CEO of UST passed to Parents for John Roan
Research on Conflict of Interests from Parents of John Roan
Richard Marshall, Grahame Price and Christine Whatford fail schools and turn them over to MATs. Marshall was Head of Copland school. He was a disaster for the school; it failed an Ofsted, Price and Whatford were on the IEB board that decided the fate of the school after the Ofsted judgement, and despite whole staff and school objection, they turned it over to Ark, (a huge and hideous academy trust).
That’s what they do. Why would Price continue to support and employ such a weak and obviously inadequate Head in Marshall? Simple, he’s the Ruinator. That’s his job..Go in, ruin the school, mess up the exams, fail an Ofsted and Price soaks up the school, with Whatford getting her consultancy fee for each and every conversion. Price is CEO of his own MAT, the UST.
Marshall was in the John Roan as an interim Head when the school failed Ofsted. Marshall was brought in by the UST (Price), who were brought in by Whatford, the Chair of the GB..Who by the way, counts Dame Joan McVittie (the lead Ofsted inspector who failed our school) as one of her closet friends.
That’s what they do. Why would Price continue to support and employ such a weak and obviously inadequate Head in Marshall? Simple, he’s the Ruinator. That’s his job..Go in, ruin the school, mess up the exams, fail an Ofsted and Price soaks up the school, with Whatford getting her consultancy fee for each and every conversion. Price is CEO of his own MAT, the UST.
Marshall was in the John Roan as an interim Head when the school failed Ofsted. Marshall was brought in by the UST (Price), who were brought in by Whatford, the Chair of the GB..Who by the way, counts Dame Joan McVittie (the lead Ofsted inspector who failed our school) as one of her closet friends.
Christine Whatford's links to the Academy Project
Research from Parents for John Roan: "After resigning as CoG at the JR GB she went on to be a consultant for an Academy bid in Bromley. The Trust in question failed to get planning permission in this highly polluted area - perhaps because the plans did not include outdoor space for the students! But it would cast a shadow on any attempt to argue that the appointment of Ms Whatford to the JR GB was unbiased.
An insight into UST as a School manager...
Information regarding the St Paul's Way Trust Shool's budget.
2016-2018 each year 20% Staff Turnover... Supply Staff costs in the £100,000s
Questions Parents need to ask! What exactly is entailed in 'Trust Income', again in the £100,000s...
