THE Department for Education has said safeguarding concerns surrounding a major academy trust are “serious and deeply concerning” reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
It follows a highly critical safeguarding review into Mossbourne’s Victoria Park Academy (MVPA) in Hackney. Commissioned by Hackney Council and carried out by Sir Alan Wood, the borough’s former director of children’s services, the review found a “climate of fear” at the school and raised concerns about governance across the federation. Investigators revealed MVPA had issued 77,000 detentions in just three and a half years.
It also comes as the chairman of Mossbourne’s board of trustees resigned his position.
Henry Colthurst stepped down on March 6, according to Companies House filings. He had led the trust since 2016.
The Department for Education declined to comment on Mr Colthurs’s resignation but a spokesman said: “These findings are serious and deeply concerning. Every child deserves to learn in a calm classroom, and school behaviour policies should promote safety, respect, and a positive environment for both staff and pupils, tailored to the needs of their pupils and wider community.
“We will continue to engage with the Trust to ensure that it implements the changes needed in response to these findings.”
The fallout from the report has been felt acutely in Thurrock, where Mossbourne took over three former Ortu schools in January 2025. Dozens of parents have since withdrawn their children, citing an extreme discipline culture. At Fobbing Academy alone, more than 90 pupils have left, and over 100 more are on waiting lists to move.
A Freedom of Information request recently revealed the federation spent £191,267 on a parallel investigation led by KC Anne Whyte, with a further £209,220 on legal services — a total exceeding £400,000.
Thurrock Independent councillor Gary Byrne, who has repeatedly raised concerns about the trust, said Mr Colthurst’s resignation “raises serious questions”.
“For over a year, parents have voiced concerns about Mossbourne’s ‘tough love’ culture and the way complaints have been handled,” he said. “Instead of listening, the response was to spend more than £400,000 of public money on legal advice to challenge an independent safeguarding review.”
Mossbourne’s Thurrock schools are now themselves subject to an ongoing review.
The Mossbourne Federation has been approached for comment.
