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Fury at academy consultants' £1m fees
23 Nov 2009Teachers today attacked the waste of taxpayers' money involved in opening city academies after claims that consultants charge £1 million to work on each new school.
Union leaders said the cash should be spent on children's education, not lining the pockets of project management firms.
The warnings came after allegations that a consultancy company set up by a former government adviser has made millions of pounds working on Labour's flagship academies.
Graham McAvoy was “lead adviser” on academies at the Department for Education and drew up the checklist of tasks required to open one of the new schools.
His company, Alligan, has overseen £500million of work opening 20 academies, including eight in London, and reportedly charged fees of £1million for each new school.
It is one of 10 firms approved by the Government to work on the privately sponsored new schools, which were set up to transform "failing" comprehensives in poor areas.
Alligan offers a range of services from project management of new buildings to recruiting staff and supplying furniture. It reportedly charges £585 to open a bank account for the new academy and £11,310 for drawing up a school timetable.
Teachers' unions attacked the arrangements as a waste of public funds.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT union, said the consultancy fees were “disgraceful” and “a consequence of throwing public services open to the market”.
John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, condemned the “fundamental waste of money”, adding: “Academies are symbols of inefficiency.”
Martin Johnson, deputy general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said academy staff felt “cheated of funds that line consultants' pockets instead of benefiting pupils”.
Mr McAvoy, from Primrose Hill, told the Mail on Sunday that his work for the Government was not related to the fees his company now charges academies.
“I was an adviser to the academies division of the Department for Education between 2001 and 2003 and helped draw up the structure document which sets out everything which is required to be done to open an academy,” he said.
“But at the time there was no suggestion this document would be used by the department to cost the academy programme. It was the department's decision to use it to cost the projects.”
A Department for Schools spokesman declined to comment on Mr McAvoy's involvement but said: "We keep all costs in the programme under review to ensure good value for money.
"It's important to use expert advisers to free teachers to drive up standards, especially in the early stages of establishing a new school."
Reader views (3)
Having worked with for Alligan in the past, the figures the papers are touting are a bit ridiculous. That £1 million per school doesn't just go straight into the pockets of the owners, but to all the people involved in essentially restructuring (and in some cases rebuilding) schools - and that's quite a few people.
The £585 pounds is not just opening a bank account, but rather creating an entire financial management dossier and making all the arrangements with the bank that would otherwise have to be arranged by people who didn't have a clue - and continuing to do so once it is open. It's not like it's just going down the road and opening a savings account.
- Adam, London, UK, 26/11/2009 17:07
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Public money earmarked for children and charity donations made by generous members of the public to improve the lives of children is being stolen from the children by sleight-of-hand merchants.
Stealing the childrens' money, in this country, would seem to be par for the course.
- Darnthesafetynet, London W11 1NR, 23/11/2009 14:24
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Flying pigs at 12'clock high, comming out the sun
- Very Angry At Mp'S Expenses, Home Counties, 23/11/2009 12:58
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