South Cumbria academy trust told to improve 'weak' finances

BBC News

6 days ago

A trust that runs six schools has been told to improve its financial management.South Cumbria Multi Academy Trust (SCMAT), which runs primary and junior schools in Barrow, Cumbria, has been issued with a notice to improve by the Department for Education (DfE).The DfE said the trust had been issued with a warning letter in March and, while it had co-operated, concerns remained "in relation to the weak financial position and financial management at the trust".SCMAT CEO Andrew Wren said he was confident in the trust's ability to "navigate through this period and emerge as a stronger, more resilient organisation".
The DfE said SCMAT had made a request for exceptional financial support and the notice reflected "continued concerns on governance and oversight of financial management".In a letter, it told the trust: "We understand that this decision may be disappointing and want to assure you that we recognise the positive action the trust has taken to date to address the concerns."The trust, which runs Vickerstown, Ormsgill, Newbarns and Cambridge primary schools, and Chetwynde and South Walney junior schools, said it welcomed additional oversight and support from the DfE.All the schools it manages were rated "good" by Ofsted but the trust's most recent published accounts showed a £58,000 deficit, partly blamed on higher than anticipated teacher pay settlements.Prof Wren said the education sector was facing funding challenges and the DfE had recognised the trust's effort to resolve its financial issues."This intervention is not a reflection of the excellent quality of teaching across our trust led by our dedicated and hard-working staff," he said."In the past few months, two of our schools have secured good grades across the board from Ofsted and teaching remains unaffected by the formal notice."
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