SOUTH DOWNS EDUCATION TRUST

• ⚠

  Material uncertainty over going concern

  The Board of Trustees is aware that the academy trust has limited retained earnings to continue in operational existence for the short term. The Trust will be working to ensure that reserves of a minimum of one month's salary costs are kept. This will be increasingly challenging in the current financial climate. Some difficult decisions may need to be made in the future. The Trustees have assessed the Trust's financial position, including reserves and cash flow forecasts, and considered relevant risks and mitigation plans. After making appropriate enquiries, they have a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis.

• ◆

  3 officer resignations in last 12 months

  Multiple officers have left the board recently — see the People section for who.

1. SOUTH DOWNS EDUCATION TRUST 2018-02-06 → present
2. WORTHING HIGH SCHOOL 2012-10-31 → 2018-02-06

Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers

Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.

Accounting basis

FRS 102

Reporting scope

Consolidated group

Auditor

Moore (South) LLP

Audit opinion

Unqualified (clean)

Going concern

Material uncertainty disclosed

“The Board of Trustees is aware that the academy trust has limited retained earnings to continue in operational existence for the short term. The Trust will be working to ensure that reserves of a minimum of one month's salary costs are kept. This will be increasingly challenging in the current financial climate. Some difficult decisions may need to be made in the future. The Trustees have assessed the Trust's financial position, including reserves and cash flow forecasts, and considered relevant risks and mitigation plans. After making appropriate enquiries, they have a reasonable expectation that the Trust has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Accordingly, the financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis.”

Significant events

• “During the 2024-25 academic year, South Downs Education Trust (SDET) significantly expanded its outreach work, deepening its commitment to school improvement and regional collaboration.”
• “A major milestone was the appointment of CEO Pan Panayiotou as a RISE (Regional Improvement Schools Excellence) adviser for the South East region.”
• “In the 2024-25 academic year, South Downs Education Trust celebrated a highly positive Ofsted inspection for Worthing High School, conducted on 4-5 March 2025.”
• “In the 2024-25 academic year, Clapham and Patching Church of England Primary School received a glowing SIAMS report, celebrating its transformation from near closure to a flourishing centre of learning and care.”

Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers

Filings

8

last 12 months

Capital events

0

last 24 months

Officers appointed

3

last 12 months

Officers resigned

3

last 12 months

Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.

• Turnover

  +6.1%

  £8,268,341 → £8,772,790

• Cash

  -22.6%

  £1,261,329 → £976,479

• Net assets

  -4.2%

  £13,582,229 → £13,008,021

• Employees

  -2.5%

  159 → 155

• Wages

  +13.1%

  £4,835,962 → £5,467,184

Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers