THE BBC has apologised to an academy after it broadcast false allegations regarding the sale of school land.

BBC Essex broadcast their apology to the Legra Trust, which runs Cecil Jones Academy in Eastern Avenue, Southend, on Ben Fryer and Jodie Halford’s breakfast radio show yesterday morning.

The BBC’s story, originally published and broadcast on October 17 last year, made claims that the trust’s sale of the site’s lower school in 2017 may not have benefitted the pupils of the academy, including one from former teacher David Moffitt who said it put pupils at a “serious disadvantage”.

The trust always maintained the funds from the sale were spent on the academy.

On yesterday’s breakfast show, presenter Ben Fryer said: “On October 17 last year in this programme we broadcast a number of allegations about the conduct of the Legra Trust and the Cecil Jones Academy.

We would like to make it clear that those allegations were untrue.

“We apologise for the error in broadcasting those allegations and are very sorry for any distress we may have caused anyone from the Legra Trust or Cecil Jones Academy.”

Bev Williams, Legra Trust chief executive, told the BBC at the time the trust had worked “incredibly hard” to deal with “challenging and difficult” behaviour which Ofsted said was “entrenched in the culture of the academy”, as the academy had received several inadequate ratings.

Speaking to the Echo after the apology, she said: “We’re pleased the BBC has finally admitted its significant failings in relation to this story and are grateful for the corrections both online and on air.

“This caused significant distress to staff and parents and could have been avoided if the BBC had listened to us and researched its story more fully.

The complaints investigation took a very long time but we are pleased it has now reached its conclusion.”