Eight Gloucestershire schools are set to leave the trust that has been running them after its own trustees admitted it was no longer “sustainable”.
The SAND Academies Trust said in a statement on Wednesday (June 24) that the problems affecting its schools in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Cirencester and Stroud meant they felt they should switch to new trusts.
It follows the revelation in May that the trust’s serious financial problems had led to the Government stepping in to ensure the issue was dealt with.
The trust supports five special schools, one specialist resource centre and three mainstream schools.
The special schools are The Milestone in Gloucester, where the trust is based, Battledown and Belmont schools in Cheltenham, Paternoster in Cirencester and Sladewood Academy in Stroud.
The Piper Centre, which is a specialist resource, is attached to the Willow Primary Academy in Gloucester. It is one of three mainstream schools run by the trust in the city, with the others being Calton Primary & Pre-School and Tredworth Infant & Nursery Academy.
A spokesperson for the SAND Academies Trust said: “The new board of trustees has concluded that the trust is not sustainable as a stand-alone organisation.
“It has proposed to the Department for Education that its eight schools be transferred to new trusts that are well-positioned to support them in this next chapter.
“No decisions have been taken yet as to which trusts the schools will join. Pupils’ education and Education, Health and Care Plans are fully protected, as are staff contracts.
“All schools will continue to be open throughout this process, and we are committed to being open and transparent with our school communities so that they are kept fully informed.”
The trust said that once the schools had transferred to new trusts, it would be wound down.
It added that its investigation into its financial problems was still happening and that the Department for Education’s Financial Notice, requiring it to improve, was still in place.
In May, the trust said the problems related to errors made by its previous leadership. The notice is a formal warning issued by the DfE to an academy trust when the Government believes there are serious concerns about its financial management, governance, or compliance.
It sets out the actions required for a trust to strengthen its financial management and return to a sustainable footing.
The SAND Academies Trust said the issues related to accounting errors and financial decisions. It said new interim CEO David Moran would lead the trust through a structured recovery process, working closely with the DfE.
An independent forensic investigation had also been commissioned to establish how the financial position arose and to ensure full accountability, it said.
