A whistleblower has raised concerns about a restructuring at a multi-academy trust, which includes a historic college and has led a number of staff to depart.

The Tees Valley Collaborative Trust, which includes Prior Pursglove College, in Guisborough, Stockton Sixth Form College and a pupil referral unit in Bishopton, Stockton, began a consultation in March over the changes, which were due to be implemented during the 2024/25 autumn term which began this month.

The whistleblower, a long serving member of staff who was made redundant, said he was aware of 19 people – a mixture of teachers and support staff – having exited since the plans were announced, including former members of the trust’s senior leadership team, although some new posts have been created.

Some had left voluntarily to pursue roles elsewhere, but there had also been nine redundancies, he said.

Respected former principal Asma Shaffi, who oversaw the Guisborough and Stockton sites was confirmed in an e-mail to staff in June to have left after the principal position was deleted.

The now ex-member of staff claims: “I fear that these unwarranted changes are going to be extremely detrimental and the public may lose confidence in our ability to provide a quality education because there will be less staff and less support for students.”

The trust, which is currently rated as ‘good’ by Ofsted, was proposing to move away from academic courses such as A-Levels towards more practical subjects in the form of T-Levels, putting it in competition with the likes of Middlesbrough College and Redcar and Cleveland College, which were better placed to deliver vocational qualifications, he felt.

He said “brilliant” staff, who did not agree with the restructure had left and claimed there was also concern over the future of the Endeavour faculty, which caters for approximately 200 special educational needs students in Guisborough and Stockton, despite assurances from management that had been received.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) contacted the trust, which is responsible for about 1,600 students at Prior Pursglove and 700 at Stockton Sixth Form College, but it failed to provide a comment in response.

An e-mail sent earlier this year to staff by trust CEO Nichole Munro said staffing structures were being reviewed and warned of potential redundancies since natural turnover of employees would not be sufficient to reach the proposed new headcount.

A restructure consultation document shared with employees said: “Given the shifting educational landscape and regional competition at sixth form level, it is imperative to remain agile and prepared for growth.  

“A strategic restructuring of the trust central team, along with Prior Pursglove and Stockton Sixth Form College and Bishopton School is warranted.  

“While recognising the challenges we face, this initiative aims to position our schools for sustained success, amidst a highly competitive landscape.”

The document said staffing arrangements were being streamlined and there was a refocus on putting staff back into teaching and learning roles to ensure compliance with the national skills agenda as highlighted by Ofsted.

It described changes to a central team working across the trust in order to offer a comprehensive business service to its current academies, as well as to schools that may potentially join in the future.

Meanwhile, in respect of the two colleges the principal, two vice principal and an assistant principal post were to be deleted and replaced by a head of centre at both sites and a deputy head of centre.

One deputy head post in each curriculum department would be removed along with a school liaison manager post.

It was also proposed that the number of support staff at Prior be reduced by 3.5 full-time equivalents.

At Bishopton pupil referral unit, which joined the trust in May 2021, the headteacher position was to be replaced with a head of centre and two assistant headteacher roles would be removed with a deputy head of centre being introduced.

The consultation document said the changes were “not primarily driven by financial constraints”, although a reduction in management posts and support staff at the Guisborough and Stockton sites was predicted to save £49,000, while £4,000 would be further saved at Bishopton.

Prior’s roots date back to 1561 when English bishop Robert Pursglove set up a free school to enable boys to learn Latin.

Its alumni include Game of Thrones actress Faye Marsay, journalist and broadcaster Rod Liddle and Paralympic athlete Jade Jones.

The trust, which was established in 2017 and also runs Errington Primary School, in Marske, says its aim is to “engender a love of learning through an exceptional quality of educational provision in which every learner is inspired and supported to fulfil their potential, enhancing their personal development and benefiting their community”.

A message for students at Prior states academic outcomes are “among the best nationally” with significant numbers progressing to Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

‘Very fearful’

The whistleblower said he was “very fearful” over the impact of the changes and claimed “another round of cuts” was planned. He referred to Prior Pursglove College as a “historic educational establishment on Teesside” and said staff at the trust “provided an excellent service to the local community”.

The whistleblower claimed: “There is actually no need to do this restructure, the trust is successful and has been developing continuously.

“There is no justification, other than we are being told the college needs to change with the times with the CEO talking about moving to more practical courses such as T Levels. However T Levels are not successful, one in three people drop out of them and the pass rate in some local colleges is only about 60 per cent.”

He added: “As soon as the consultation documents came out and people read through them, the vast majority of people affected were like ‘Right I’m off this looks horrendous’.

“There are some brilliant staff that have gone.”

He said the CEO had explained away some senior departures as staff leaving to further their own careers and he felt she had “no real insight into what is happening around her and how hurtful the changes will be”.

The LDRS put these claims directly to the trust at the time of publication no response has been received.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Luke Myer, who visited Prior Pursglove College last month to congratulate A and T Level students on their results, said he had an upcoming meeting with the college where he would be requesting more information about the restructuring.

However Mr Myer, himself a former pupil, could add no further comment at this stage.