Barnfield College investigated by Department for Education

A spokesman for the department exclusively told the Luton News this week: “The DfE and the SFA have received allegations relating to Barnfield College and the Barnfield Federation. We are taking these seriously and are investigating.”

Barnfield took over Halyard High School and South Luton High School in 2007, converting them to Barnfield West Academy and Barnfield South Academy.

Since then the Federation has expanded to include Barnfield Moorlands Free School, Barnfield Vale Academy, Barnfield Studio School and Barnfield Skills Academy but plans to convert more schools in Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard have been put on hold this year.

In July this year, director general Sir Peter Birkett resigned.

A Barnfield spokesman said: “The newly appointed interim CEOs of the Barnfield Federation, Stephen Hall and Helen Mayhew, are engaging with the Skills Funding Agency and the Education Funding Agency to undertake a review of the Federation’s operations at Barnfield College and its sponsored Academies.

“The college has significant cash reserves and is financially stable.

“Our students are at the very centre of all we do at Barnfield and our recent restructure was designed to create even better education delivery in the future.”

Barnfield had been involved in turning St George’s School, which is in East Street, Leighton Buzzard, into an academy.

But despite plans to convert in August last year, parents at the school have been told the change will not now happen until at least the second half of the autumn term 2013 and they need to buy the current school uniform for the time being.

On the school website they were told: ‘The school’s conversion date has been put back until the Autumn half term and due to this new and existing pupils will be expected to purchase the current St George’s uniform.

“Even after our conversion to academy there will be a gradual phased in approach to changing any aspect of the current uniform.”

The scheme to convert Brewers Hill in Dunstable fell through this term.