012// Colston and Multi-Academies: What’s not to Trust? ft. Christine Townsend

requires improvement

Following on from our last episode which looked at the history of the Society of Merchant Venturers and their role in promoting the legacy of slave trader Edward Colston, we bring our focus into the present by looking at how the Society of Merchant Venturers has expanded their influence into Bristol's State Education Sector. We discuss their management and ownership of a portfolio of Bristol schools now under the banner of a multi-academy trust, and the questions that should be asked of their approach to education governance, in particular whether comprehensive access to education is safe in their hands. We conclude our discussions by considering the extent to which these issues are emblematic of the academy/faith school system in the UK. We are honoured to be joined on this episode by Christine Townsend, former teacher turned education campaigner and member of the Countering Colston group. Lee is your host for this episode, and he's joined for an initial chat by Requires Improvement co-hosts Nik and Anu. https://counteringcolston.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/countercolston