Castleford Academy Trust

UID 2572·Companies House 07547039·Incorporated March 2011·Compare

Schools

Flags

14 high severity

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: Feb 2026Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2026/27Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£36.6m

5,572 pupils

Avg staff costs

75.9%

of income

Avg reserves

0.0%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

32.1%

free school meals

Capacity

97%

5,572 / 5,763 places

Total admin cost

£5.7m

£1,018 per pupil

Trust overview

1 of 9 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

9 of 9 schools hold reserves below the DfE's 5% reference point.

Trust-average reserves have fallen about 20 percentage points over two years of published returns.

Absence is above the national average in 7 of 9 schools. Attendance tracks intake and local circumstances as well as school practice.

5 schools report persistent absence above 20%, a level the DfE prioritises for additional support.

7 of 9 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above; 2 have at least one area judged below it. Inspection dates vary — some grades predate current leadership.

1 of these inspections used the new Report Card framework; its scale is not directly comparable with legacy grades.

Generated from published DfE and Ofsted data — year-end snapshots that cannot show in-year plans, restructuring or local context. Reference points are DfE review thresholds, not judgements.

Ofsted & results

Ofsted

78%meeting standard or above

Across 9 graded schools, including 1 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

71% Good+

Good 5RI 2

Behaviour & attitudes

86% Good+

Good 6RI 1

Personal development

86% Good+

Outst. 2Good 4RI 1

Leadership & management

78% Good+

Good 7RI 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

42.9

-3.3

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

52.0%

-9.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressCastleford Academy, Castleford, WF10 4JQ

Companies House07547039

Incorporated1 March 2011

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

Grade distribution across 1 schoolinspected under Ofsted's 5-point scale (from November 2025). Not directly comparable with the earlier 1–4 sub-judgements above.

Curriculum & teaching

Needs attention 1

Achievement

Needs attention 1

Inclusion

Expected standard 1

Attendance & behaviour

Needs attention 1

Personal development

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	9	5,556	£35.7m	£33.5m	69.8%	28.7%
2022/23	9	5,532	£38.7m	£35.2m	69.4%	13.0%
2023/24	9	5,542	£40.9m	£38.2m	72.4%	0.0%
2024/25partial	9	5,572	£36.6m	£35.4m	75.9%	0.0%
2025/26	9	5,461	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

7.6%

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

£2,925,000

CS staff costs

£1,480,000

CS income

£284,000

Admin & clerical£1,566,000

Teaching staff£123,000

ICT£37,000

Premises£586,000

Legal & professional£278,000

Auditor costs£30,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

11 current directors · Average tenure: 6.5 years · 3 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (11)

Jennifer Fearnhead

director·< 1 year

Samantha Jane Broome

director·< 1 year

Steven Honeyman

director·1 year

Gemma Claire Louise Doyle

director·3 years

Joanne Louise Barton

director·4 years

George Paul Panayiotou

director·7 years

John Morrison

director·8 years

Marie Hunter

director·8 years

John Iveson

director·10 years

Adam Neil Fletcher

director·10 years

John Hughes

director·15 years

Company Secretary

Samantha Lee Stevens

secretary·15 years

13 former officers — most recent departure: Feb 2026

Jonathon Charles Hughes

director·5 years·Resigned Feb 2026

Timothy Morris

director·5 years·Resigned Oct 2020

Jennifer Mcnichol

director·8 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Angela Pool

director·8 years·Resigned Oct 2017

Sally Wright

director·9 years·Resigned Jul 2019

Josephine Ann Budby

Member schools (9)

9 schools|8 with risk flags|10 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Airedale Academy	136613	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absenceofsted concernin year deficit
Airedale Infant Academy	141522	Primary	—
Airedale Junior Academy	141409	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Castleford Academy	136633	Secondary	high absence
Castleford Park Junior Academy	139359	Primary	workforce pressure
Castleford Three Lane Ends Academy	141290	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
Crofton Academy	137001	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Glasshoughton Infant Academy	140312	Primary	workforce pressure
Oyster Park Primary Academy	141144	Primary	high absenceofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficitperformance decline