FREE SCHOOL FACES FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES
ARUNCORN free school’s annual overspend more than doubled to hit £538,358 last year bringing its two-year deficit to a £750,000 – equal to about half its staffing budget.
Accounts filed with Companies House showed Sandymoor Free School’s net expenditure had soared from the previous year to August 31, 2016, when it ran at a loss of £253,450.
The report said the academy is working to return to surplus and had taken steps to improve its financial health, having carried out a staff ‘review’ and ‘restructure’, started using budgeting software and outsourced its payroll services, and looked around for the best deals on stationery costs.
Sandymoor bosses are now hoping that increasing pupils numbers will balance the books in coming years.
The secondary, which opened in 2012 and was visited by free school advocate and then-Prime Minister David Cameron during a 2015 election tour, has had a fraught year.
In February, education minister Edward Timpson MP said it was an ‘academy of concern’ after its Progress 8 performance score for progress in key subjects plunged to -1.1 in 2016, well below the borough average of 0.19 and national average of 0.
Its Progress 8 score in 2017 remained low, at 1.09, its Attainment 8 performance score was below the local authority and national averages and it English and maths percentage for the number of pupils achieving Grade 5 or above was 25%, below the Halton average of 30% and the national average of 39.1%. Pupil absence was also higher than the national average of 5.2%, reaching 6.7%.
According to Department For Education statistics, the school also had a disproportionately high number of boys attending at 60.9% of the school population of 327 pupils – equivalent to nearly two thirds. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is 25.9%, lower than the national average of 29.1%.
It was also hit by tragedy with the death of Maisy Lewis, 14, found dead in woods on the outskirts of the Sandymoor neighbourhood.
In her tribute to Maisy, Sandymoor Free School principal Emma Simpson said Maisy ‘had many future career choices’ and ‘was on track to achieve grades that would have enabled her to go on to study A-levels and then go to university if she had wanted to in any subject area’.
The school’s finances were raised in Parliament earlier in the year, when Halton Labour MP Derek Twigg raised concerns over a £522,000 deficit figure in the school’s accounts for 2016.
Sandymoor said the numbers were wrong and filed amended figures.
Speaking in February, education minister Edward Timpson said the Government had ‘no concerns’ regarding the school’s financial management and said it did not have a deficit but had achieved a ‘surplus on recurrent funds of £173,401’.
In August, Sandymoor Free School filed a resignation letter dated July 21, 2017, from accountants Mitchell Charlesworth, the auditors of the initial accounts.
No r t hwi c h - b a s e d accountants Howard Worth acted as auditor for the refiled 2015-16 accounts and this has continued throughout 2017.
All the accounts have been signed off by Sandymoor’s chair of trustees and parish councillor Richard Eastburn and principal and accounting officer Emma Simpson.
Earlier in July, former Conservative MP for Weaver Vale Graham Evans departed from his role as a Sandymoor Free School director.
Three other director appointments were terminated during 2017: Pauline Shearer on November 30, and Gill Gibbs and Muriel Couturier on August 31.
In addition to his founding role at Sandymoor Free School Mr Eastburn was the boss of Manchester-based electrical goods company Audio Visual Specialists Limited until 2015 when it was dissolved.
Winding-up proceedings for the company had begun in 2011 to start the firm’s journey into liquidation.
At the time of the its final creditors’ meeting in 2014, the firm owed £27,000 in secured debt to Natwest Bank and an estimated £53,000 to unsecured creditors.
In response to a query over whether any review or probe into the school’s issues was taking place, a Department For Education spokeswoman said: “We continue to work with and support Sandymoor Free School to ensure that the needs of their pupils are met.”