Academy trust with 7 primary schools in Birmingham receives government warning over financial management

An Academy trust with seven primary schools in Birmingham has been unable to approve a balanced budget for the 2023/24 year.

The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership was issued with a Notice to Improvement by the Department for Education (DfE) earlier this month.

In a letter to the Trust, the DfE wrote: “The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) has assessed that the trust is in breach of paragraph 2.10 of the Academy Trust Handbook as it is unable to approve a balanced budget for 2023/24.

“The ESFA has also provided the trust with exceptional financial support. We are issuing your trust with a Notice to Improve on financial grounds, on the basis of the above. This letter and its annexes serve as a written Notice to Improve financial management at the trust.”

In the letter, the DfE did say that the Trust has already taken steps to improve its financial situation. These included: commissioning an external governance review, appointing an experienced SRMA to the board, and bringing about efficiency savings with plans to secure further savings across all the trust’s schools.

The city schools managed by the Trust

The Arthur Terry trust manages 14 schools in the West Midlands and 7 different primary schools in Birmingham. They are:

• Brookvale Primary School, Witton
• Deykin Avenue Junior & Infant School, Gravelly Hill
• Hill West Primary School, Sutton Coldfield
• Mere Green Primary School, Mere Green
• Osborne Primary School, Erdington
• Paget Primary School, Tyburn
• Slade Primary School, Erdington

The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership has been contacted for comment on this story