DfE lifts notice for Dorrington Academy Trust

Here’s the update we know you’ve been waiting for. The Department for Education has lifted the Notice to Improve for Dorrington Academy Trust. The GOV.UK page was updated on 9 January 2026 with the lifting letter, confirming the notice was lifted on 16 December 2025.

A quick refresher: a Notice to Improve is a formal step the DfE uses when there are concerns about governance or how public money is managed in an academy trust. While a notice is in place, some routine permissions are removed and certain transactions need prior sign‑off. When improvement is demonstrated and sustainable, those permissions are returned.

What happened at Dorrington? The DfE’s lifting letter says the trust received a notice on 6 November 2024 following significant breaches of the Academy Trust Handbook linked to financial management. Actions set for the trust included filing statutory returns on time, strengthening governance, commissioning an independent review, seeking approval for specified transactions, tightening procurement, sharing board agendas and minutes with officials, and engaging with a Schools Resource Management Adviser. The department now says the required actions have been completed, so the notice is lifted with immediate effect.

What you’ll notice in school: very little. Teaching, clubs and exams carry on. The difference sits behind the scenes. With the notice lifted, the trust regains its usual ‘delegated authorities’ for certain decisions, on the basis that the improved controls continue.

For parents and carers, there’s no change to admissions, SEND support or day‑to‑day contact routes. Because the department has now published the lifting letter, the trust may remove the original notice from its website. The DfE continues to oversee compliance and can step in again if concerns return.

For staff and governors, the letter is clear about the road ahead: keep the stronger routines that delivered the progress. The DfE thanks the leadership team and stresses the need to maintain robust financial oversight.

If you want to read the paperwork for yourself, the lifting letter runs to two pages and the original notice is eleven pages, both hosted on GOV.UK. They’re helpful case studies if you’re studying school finance or governance and want to see how accountability works in practice.

Where to learn more or raise a question: start with your school office or the trust board. If you’re a trainee teacher, business manager or governor, the Academy Trust Handbook 2025 and the DfE’s Financial Support and Oversight guidance explain how notices are issued, what powers are paused and how they’re restored.