St Ralph Sherwin CMAT has received a second Financial Notice to Improve from the Department for Education (DfE). A Financial Notice to Improve is a public letter that sets out the actions an academy trust must take to strengthen its financial management and return to a sustainable position. It brings with it increased internal and external scrutiny of how the Trust oversees and controls its finances. The full letter is available via the link below.
This latest notice follows an extended period of engagement with the DfE to address historic financial challenges. In their correspondence, the DfE acknowledge the improvements already made to strengthen accounting and internal controls at St Ralph Sherwin, while also making clear that further progress is required.
The Trust continues to operate under a Financial Recovery Plan, which has been further developed through extensive dialogue with Headteachers and staff across the Trust. This plan sets out the actions needed to stabilise the Trust’s financial position. We anticipate improvement during the 2026/27 financial year, although this remains dependent on the successful delivery of the recovery actions and the outcome of ongoing restructuring work.
We remain extremely grateful to leaders and staff, both in schools and centrally, who are working closely with us to identify savings and efficiencies while maintaining the high quality of education across our communities. Our absolute focus continues to be ensuring that every child in our care receives the best possible Catholic education and support.
