Eight schools in Gloucestershire face an impending takeover after the SAND Academies Trust that oversees them revealed severe financial difficulties earlier this year.
The trust, headquartered at The Milestone School near Gloucester, was served a formal ‘Notice to Improve’ by the Department for Education (DfE) in April 2026. The notice highlighted significant concerns regarding the trust’s weak financial position and inadequate financial governance.
The DfE warned that if the trust failed to meet the improvement conditions outlined in the notice, it would consider “contractual intervention options.”
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Just ten weeks after this notice, the SAND Academies Trust announced that continuing as an independent organisation is no longer feasible. The trust has proposed transferring its eight schools to other trusts capable of providing stronger support to both the schools and their pupils.
A spokesperson for SAND Academies Trust stated: “The new board of trustees has concluded that SAND Academies Trust is not sustainable as a stand-alone organisation. We have proposed to the Department for Education that our eight schools be transferred to trusts best positioned to support them in the next chapter.
“No decisions have been made yet regarding which trusts will take over. Pupils’ education plans (EHCPs) and staff contracts will remain fully protected. All schools will remain open throughout this transitional period, and we are committed to maintaining transparency and keeping our school communities fully informed.”
The initial Notice to Improve, dated April 16, 2026, reflected the DfE’s grave concerns over the trust’s financial management: “We remain extremely concerned in relation to the significantly weak financial position and financial governance at the trust.
“This notice and its annexes require urgent improvement in financial management. Progress will be closely monitored through regular case reviews. The notice will only be lifted once all conditions are fully met.
“If it becomes clear the trust cannot comply within the agreed timescales, contractual intervention options will be pursued.”
The eight schools under SAND Academies Trust include five special schools and three mainstream schools. Requests for individual comments were referred back to the trust.