The trust in charge of Witham’s two secondary schools has been told it cannot sponsor any new academies until it improves standards.

The Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) is one of 14 sponsors nationwide which has been banned from taking on new schools by the Government.

AET took control of Maltings Academy, in Spinks Lane, and New Rickstones Academy, in Conrad Road, in 2008.

Since assuming academy status, both schools moved into new buildings in a £50million project.

But the academies were both rated as “requiring improvement” by Ofsted in their most recent inspections.

See this week's Witham and Braintree Times for the full story