Academy chain set to spend £1 million on PR following a series of scandals

Ormiston Academies Trust is considering spending more than £1 million to improve its marketing strategies and public relations.

The academy chain, which runs 29 schools, plan on hiring a PR agency in order to improve its reputation over the next three years.

An online contract, which was seen by PRWeek, shows that the trust plans on strengthening its communications department following a number of scandals which have damaged its reputation.

This includes allegations of one member of staff sending a sexually explicit photo to another staff member through the school’s IT network and a teaching assistant creating a hoax bomb threat via a student’s email account in an attempt to shut the school down.

The contract for “Marketing, Media Relations and Crisis Management Services” is worth around £1,080,000, including VAT.
The work will focus on providing “good news stories” and resolving issues that could be detrimental to the trust’s reputation.

This is expected to begin in April for two years with the possibility of extending the contract for another year