The man hoping to be the next MP for St Neots says he is “deeply troubled” about how parents and the wider community feel about the town’s secondary schools.  

Conservative MP Anthony Browne conducted the survey after concerns were shared about the Astrea Academy Trust which runs both Longsands Academy and Ernulf Academy.  

The damning results – calculated from 566 responses and released exclusively to The Hunts Post – revealed: - 

  • 92 per cent are “not confident at all” and “not very confident” in the trust’s leadership; 
  • 79 per cent say the schools’ behaviour policies are “too strict”;  
  • 78 per cent think they would feel better if the school was managed by a different trust; 
  • 76 per cent said they are “very dissatisfied” and “dissatisfied” with the overall quality of the education at the schools; and 
  • 84 per cent “strongly disagree” or “disagree” that the Astrea Academy Trust has improved the quality of education at the school. 

The top four concerns were: quality / consistency of the teaching (52 per cent); school leadership (52 per cent); mental health issues of students (35 per cent); and special educational needs provision (21 per cent).    

Commenting on the survey, Mr Browne said: "I am deeply troubled by the overwhelming consensus among parents and community members regarding the shortcomings of the Astrea Academy Trust.  

“It's clear from the feedback we've received that there are significant challenges, from concerns about the trust’s leadership to issues surrounding teaching quality and behaviour policies.  

“It is imperative that we take decisive steps to ensure our children receive the education they deserve."  

Mr Browne – currently the MP for South Cambridgeshire – will be standing in the next general election for the new St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency. 

The anonymised results from the survey will be shared with both secondary schools, the leadership team at the Astrea Academy Trust and Cambridgeshire County Council.  

His team says meetings have been scheduled with the Department of Education (DFE) and that guidance is being sought on how to separate at least one of the St Neots schools from the trust.  

Survey respondents will also be asked if they will be interested in attending a public meeting to discuss the issues further.  

Ofsted currently rates both secondary schools in St Neots as “requires improvement”.  

Inspectors visited Longsands Academy in early February but the final report has not been published.  

When asked for a status update, the education regulator explained it does not comment on individual reports. 

A spokesperson for the Astrea Academy Trust said they would like to discuss the survey findings with Mr Browne.  

She said: “Astrea is proud of the progress that has been made in our schools and are confident that this will come to be recognised.

“We understand that change is difficult and it takes time for positive changes to make a difference but we must also listen to external views and respond to these.  

“We know that some schools, such as Longsands, have had a history of poor behaviour and we have introduced a set of easy-to-follow behaviours for pupils to understand.  

“The driving force behind this is to maximise learning time and create a calm, safe and purposeful environment, where all our students can learn and all our teachers can teach, free from disruption.” 

She explained the trust’s approach “rewards positive behaviour, allows students to modify their behaviour whilst setting clear boundaries”.  

This helps students “develop and discover their interests and talents” to prepare them for their futures.  

The spokesperson said school attendance is a national issue and some students have experienced challenges with their mental health after the pandemic. 

The trust says it has “listened to parents and carers” and has improved the way it engages with them with regular events, online and face-to-face updates, involvement in decision making and weekly newsletters.  

The Hunts Post: Anthony Browne, who is currently the MP for South Cambridgeshire, will be standing in the next general election for the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency.Anthony Browne, who is currently the MP for South Cambridgeshire, will be standing in the next general election for the St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency. (Image: Anthony Browne MP)A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Whilst the council has no direct control over academy schools in general, we do raise concerns around school performance and concerns shared by parents with the DfE through the office of the Regional Director, Jonathan Duff."

He added parents can address their concerns to the relevant academy trust and/or the DfE which is responsible awarding trusts' contracts to run schools.

The DfE has been approached for comment. 

The Astrea Academy Trust also runs St Ivo Academy, in St Ives.