THIS year it was announced that three Weymouth primary schools and All Saints Secondary School were planning to join the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust (DSAT).

But while the primary schools appear to be going ahead, the date for All Saints to join has not been announced.

The reason for this delay is not clear. But if the governors are having second thoughts I applaud and encourage their caution. Parents in Weymouth and Portland like many other parents across the country, are discovering that schools run by academy trusts are failing to deliver the benefits as promised.

As we come to the end of the school year many parents and teachers I speak to are really concerned for the future education of our young people. I share their concerns.

Whilst your readers will know that academies are charitable trusts and not run for profit, they may not realise that this does not stop people making money from them. Not for profit organisation do not share out profits to shareholders; they return any profit back into the company or, in the case of academies, to the charitable trust.

There are many examples where surplus money in these organisations has been used to pay chief executives and managers exceptionally high salaries and to buy in services from profit making companies.

It is not unusual to find that these profit making companies have links to the CEOs of the non -profit organisation.

Although academy trusts are overseen by the Charities Commission, there are plenty of examples where similar links between academy trusts directors and profit making companies can be found.

The government had planned to make all schools become academies by 2020.

The current policy is that only failing schools will be forced into academisation. Labour opposes turning anymore schools into academies and will not force any to convert.

Unlike some academy chains, I am not suggesting that DSAT should be avoided by the All Saints governors. But the many disadvantages of academisation make a review of the policy urgent and given the political uncertainly I would urge them to hold out as long as possible.

CATHERINE RAYNER Weymouth