MLG is a bespoke education finance consultancy based in the West Midlands but offering services to schools and academies across the UK.
We allow school leaders to concentrate on the education of the children while we deal with the tasks around school finances.
MLG was formed in 2013 and has worked on many high-profile academy projects over the past 10 years. We work very closely with the ESFA and DfE and have a relationship with them that allows us to efficiently resolve problems for our clients.
Whether a school is looking for a new finance system, management accounts or merging with another group of schools, MLG has the experience to help.
MLG
Why Umbrella?
MLG is quite often engaged with academy trusts looking at everything that is “non-teaching”. Although MLG specialises in finance, we know our limitations and would always advise our clients to seek similar expertise in other operational areas.
Joining Umbrella with other organisations that we have used and trusted over the past few years has enabled us to formalise those relationships and to provide a “one stop” shop for schools and trusts to benefit from expert advice and guidance.
A number of years ago, MLG was approached by one of the top firms of auditors in the UK to help with an academy trust that had found themselves in a very difficult situation.
The trust had made deficits of just under £2m and had borrowed these funds through the ESFA supporting their cashflow.
The CEO and CFO of the trust had left along with the majority of the trustees and members.
MLG was tasked by the DfE and the new board of the trust to re-broker the schools to two other academy trusts but to do so without any further injection of cash support from the DfE/ESFA. We were therefore tasked with giving away the debts with the schools.
Projects
Academy Trust Audit
Solutions and Improved Outcomes
MLG worked with all of the stakeholders involved to find an acceptable solution that provided all of the schools with the ability to offer the pupils a good education in an environment that was stable.
After 18 months of hardwork MLG managed to:
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Re-broker the 5 schools
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Transfer the £2m debts to the new trusts
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Onerous contracts were negotiated and ended where possible with very little penalty.
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No further monies were requested from the ESFA
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All of the schools went on to successful academy trusts and the pupil number grew and the Ofsteds all improved
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The trust that closed did so with no debts
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The trusts that took the schools and the debts were so happy with the work by MLG they became clients and have been with us for 5 years