Acer Trust

UID 15720·Companies House 09591931·Incorporated May 2015·Compare

Schools

Flags

2 high severity

Finance: 2024/25Ofsted: Jun 2025Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2025/26Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£34.2m

5,655 pupils

Avg staff costs

74.9%

of income

Avg reserves

2.3%

of income

Avg absence

6.8%

Persistent: 16.9%

More metrics

Avg FSM

14.8%

free school meals

Capacity

96%

5,655 / 5,863 places

Trust overview

2 of 9 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

4 schools are operating in deficit — this may reflect planned investment or require financial planning.

2 of 9 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 44% of schools (4 of 9).

4 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

89% of inspected schools are rated Good or Outstanding across sub-judgements.

Reference points from DfE published guidance. Whether any metric warrants action depends on the trust's context and strategy.

At a glance

Trust-wide reserves at 0.8%below 5% threshold2 schools with declining results4 schools with workforce pressure4 schools with absence above 8%2 schools with staff costs above 78%2 schools with Ofsted concerns

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

75% Good+

Good 3RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

75% Good+

Outst. 1Good 2RI 1

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 3

Leadership & management

89% Good+

Good 8RI 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

48.9

+2.7

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

56.0%

-5.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressMatthew Arnold School, Oxford, OX2 9JE

Companies House09591931

Incorporated14 May 2015

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	9	5,735	£33.9m	£31.6m	75.1%	8.6%
2022/23	9	5,679	£36.0m	£34.2m	72.5%	8.6%
2023/24	9	5,655	£34.2m	£33.5m	74.9%	2.3%
2024/25partial	9	5,654	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

0.9%

of total trust spend

Typical MAT centralisation ranges from 3-7% of total trust spend. Figures below 2% may indicate limited central coordination; above 10% warrants review of value for money.

CS expenditure

£302,000

CS staff costs

£189,000

CS income

£0

Admin & clerical£183,000

Teaching staff£0

ICT£0

Premises£43,000

Legal & professional£23,000

Auditor costs£28,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

11 current directors · Average tenure: 4.8 years · 3 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (11)

Ben Barton

director·< 1 year

Andrew Hall

director·< 1 year

Ben Dr Potter

director·1 year

Brian Brown

director·2 years

Carole Thomson

director·2 years

Sandra Ward

director·4 years

Sally Margaret Atkinson

director·4 years

Paul Gravett

director·7 years

Stanley Michael Linton Terry

director·9 years

Judith Anne Bennett

director·9 years

Jill Cottee

director·10 years

14 former officers — most recent departure: Feb 2026

Rafael Garcia-krailing

director·2 years·Resigned Mar 2025

Janet James

director·2 years·Resigned Aug 2024

Stuart Redding

director·2 years·Resigned Jul 2024

Nicola Jane Hills

secretary·7 years·Resigned Feb 2026

Helen Joanne Curry

director·7 years·Resigned Oct 2022

John William Green

Member schools (9)

9 schools|9 with risk flags|2 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Botley School	147759	Primary	ofsted concern
Chalgrove Community Primary School	143969	Primary	workforce pressure
Glory Farm Primary School	141051	Primary	high staff costs
Icknield Community College	143984	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Matthew Arnold School	142104	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Stadhampton Primary School	146481	Primary	performance decline
The Cooper School	141069	Secondary	high staff costsworkforce pressurehigh absenceofsted concern
Watlington Primary School	147281	Primary	performance decline
Wood Green School	144008	Secondary	high absence