THE ACADEMIES Education Trust (AET) are 'financially incompetent and educationally illiterate' according to the Isle of Wight Council's education spokesman - who led calls at last night's full council meeting to have them removed from managing Island schools.
During a passionate debate at an extraordinary meeting of the full council last night (Wednesday), Cllr Chris Whitehouse told fellow councillors the trust had 'no place on our Island.'
Councillors unanimously approved a motion to approach the government so AET could be removed from managing any school on the Isle of Wight.
Cllr Whitehouse told members: "I have no time for AET. The way they have handled the situation at Sandown Bay is disgraceful."
There were cheers from parents in the public gallery as furious council members unanimously condemned AET's recent behaviour at Sandown Bay, which AET is planning to close, blaming falling pupil numbers it says makes the school unviable.
Parents battling the plans to shut the Sandown site and merge it with Ryde Academy have said figures they have obtained show the school's finances are healthy.
Cllr Whitehouse said last night that during a meeting between AET bosses and the IW Council last week, AET admitted they wanted to 'shut down the Sandown site.'
He said nationally, AET's finances were 'up the spout.'
Earlier in the debate, Cllr John Howe highlighted AET's treatment of parents and governors when Weston Academy in Totland was shut.
He said: "AET should be ashamed of the way they treated the school."
Cllr Julie Jones-Evans added: "It is an absolute disgrace what is happening."
Members unanimously agreed to approach the relevant government office to demand that AET was removed from managing any school on the Isle of Wight and take steps to establish or promote a new local body to take on the management and running of Sandown Bay Academy.