A flagship turnaround academy trust set up to transform 鈥渢he most challenging schools in the north” was lined up by government to sponsor a Midlands school two days after it was rated ‘good’. It is one of more than 50 cases since 2016 in which ministers have U-turned on a forced academisation order. In 2019 ministers unveiled Falcon Education Academies Trust with a remit to transform challenging northern schools. Schools Week has learned that the Department for Education told West Gate School in Leicester that Falcon was its preferred sponsor in September 2021, and that the board had a 鈥渄uty鈥 to facilitate transfer. But an Ofsted report published two days earlier 鈥 with inspectors praising leaders鈥 鈥渆ffective action鈥 towards removing special measures since 2019. Falcon had just two schools at the time, when 62 other schools were earmarked for sponsorship nationally, including 31 across the north. Falcon has since said it would work nationally, with two more Midlands schools now. 鈥榃e expected a harder fight鈥 Rhian Richardson, West Gate鈥檚 head, said proposals felt like an 鈥渆xpensive solution to do what we鈥檇 already done; more about fulfilling a process than improvement鈥. Rhian Richardson She joined alongside a new deputy in 2018, overhauling the curriculum, starting to tackle its deficit and improving its systems, ethos and collaboration locally. The school formally requested the DfE abandon forced academisation shortly after the Falcon announcement 鈥 and within three months the DfE gave way. 鈥淲e鈥檇 expected to have to fight harder,鈥 she said. A Falcon spokesperson said the government approached it before Ofsted鈥檚 report, following a previous sponsor鈥檚 withdrawal and financial challenges at the school. A Schools Week freedom of information request found 52 other academy orders have been revoked since the escape clause was introduced in 2016. Revocations are permitted case-by-case in 鈥渆xceptional circumstances鈥. Abandoned conversions remain rare but hit a four-year high last year (eight). Both orders and revocations slumped during Covid. Academy order school now wants to run own MAT Andrew Murray, the head of Chadwick High School in Lancaster, said he was frustrated that a 鈥榞ood鈥 rating in January 2020 had not automatically halted its conversion. The school was rated 鈥榠nadequate鈥 in 2015 and 鈥榬equires improvement鈥 in 2017. The TBAP trust was proposed as Chadwick鈥檚 new sponsor in 2018, despite having a 拢1 million deficit. It later closed. The academy order was revoked in July 2021. Murray blamed the delay on Lancashire county council, but it said it helped the revocation request, which had required 鈥渟ignificant amounts of information鈥. Both Murray and Richardson said their schools were now masters of their own destinies. They were even considering conversion, despite ministers dropping academy legislation and targets. Murray hoped to 鈥渃reate our own MAT鈥 with nearby like-minded schools, while Richardson and local special school heads were 鈥渓ooking at all options鈥. Even Yew Tree Primary School in Walsall 鈥 which defeated the DfE at the High Court in 2021 鈥 鈥渋s thinking about academisation鈥. Head Jamie Barry said: 鈥淲e were never saying it鈥檚 the wrong thing, just the wrong time and trust. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e got a stable school, supporting others and with admissions up, we鈥檇 look for one aligned with our values and where we鈥檇 complement them.鈥 ‘Tinder for trusts’ would speed up matchmaking Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders鈥 union NAHT, said it was 鈥渋mmensely frustrating鈥 schools had to take such steps, which distracted from improvement. He said transfer decisions should be for schools, and backed a 鈥渜uicker, transparent review process鈥 for revocations to reduce the need for court action. Mark Lehain But Andrea Squires, head of education at the law firm Winckworth Sherwood, said guidance on criteria and processes was limited. Leaving statutory conversion duties hanging over schools for extended periods was 鈥渓op-sided鈥 if schools could not find strong trusts,. The DfE ordered Hatherden Church of England Primary School in Hampshire to convert in 2019, but gave up its 鈥渆xhaustive鈥 sponsor search and ruled out a federation in 2022, according to county council documents. Its order was revoked and it closed last year. Mark Lehain, an ex-DfE adviser now at the Centre for Policy Studies, said ministers could do more to facilitate conversions, even without the schools bill. A government-funded, independent 鈥淢ATchmaker鈥 or 鈥淭inder for Trusts鈥 service could informally connect schools and MATs. A DfE catalogue of trust information and metrics could show schools 鈥渨hat they鈥檇 be getting鈥. The DfE was approached for comment.