Bright Tribe’s Interim Chief Executive ‘hugely embarrassed’ by scandal
The Interim Chief Executive of the Bright Tribe multi academy trust has spoken of her “professional” embarrassment over the scandal, and apologised on behalf of the chain’s former leaders.
Angela Barry, interim chief executive at Bright Tribe and its sister chain Adventure Learning Academies Trust, told MPs at the parliamentary public accounts committee this week that she was ‘confident’ action would be taken if ongoing investigations into the trusts find it is necessary.
It was revealed in July that Bright Tribe, which has for some years been at the centre of a row over the running of schools in the north of England, was to close.
Schools in the North East who were part of the Bright Tribe trust were Haltwhistle Community Campus Upper and Lower Schools in Northumberland and Grindon Hall in Sunderland.
Asked if the trust had previously met her standards of best practice in terms of transparency and openness in the past, Barry said: “I think the answer to that is the fact that I’m in as an interim CEO is the answer to that question. If things had been run well then I wouldn’t be needed as the interim CEO now.
“Professionally, I am hugely embarrassed, and I know that the interim team…professionally are embarrassed for any mistakes that have been made in the past by those not in post now. Professionally, I would like to apologise on their behalf.
“I’m here to do the best job I possibly can for all the stakeholders, whether they be little people or big people in our schools.”
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