Central Region Schools Trust

UID 4335·Companies House 08166526·Incorporated August 2012·Compare

Schools

Flags

15 high severity

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

Total income

£53.5m

6,879 pupils

Avg staff costs

75.5%

of income

Avg reserves

2.4%

of income

Avg absence

7.4%

Persistent: 19.5%

More metrics

Avg FSM

30.2%

free school meals

Capacity

89%

6,879 / 7,770 places

Trust overview

5 of 14 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

12 of 14 schools have reserves below the DfE's 5% minimum.

7 of 14 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 57% of schools (8 of 14).

7 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

93% 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

5 schools with absence above 8%5 schools with workforce pressure5 schools with staff costs above 78%4 schools in deficit1 school with Ofsted concerns1 school with declining results

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

89% Good+

Outst. 1Good 7RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

89% Good+

Outst. 2Good 6Inad. 1

Personal development

89% Good+

Outst. 2Good 6RI 1

Leadership & management

93% Good+

Outst. 2Good 11Inad. 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

38.8

-7.4

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

66.8%

+5.8pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressSuite B06 Assay Studios, Birmingham, B3 1SF

Companies House08166526

Incorporated2 August 2012

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	13	6,898	£40.4m	£38.0m	75.2%	10.0%
2022/23	13	6,923	£47.4m	£45.9m	76.1%	2.0%
2023/24	14	7,315	£53.5m	£51.8m	75.5%	2.4%
2024/25partial	14	7,319	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

5.8%

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

£3,218,000

CS staff costs

£3,583,000

CS income

£380,000

Admin & clerical£1,308,000

Teaching staff£1,431,000

ICT£0

Premises£152,000

Legal & professional£120,000

Auditor costs£13,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

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

Directors / Trustees (9)

Richard Davies

director·1 year

Nasa Ahmed

director·1 year

Claire Grainger

director·2 years

Christopher Peter Smith

director·2 years

Gareth Bower

director·3 years

John Howard

director·4 years

Nicholas Raymond Dr Clifford

director·6 years

Orla Marie Macsherry

director·8 years

Eric Leslie Griffiths

director·13 years

Company Secretary

Rita Patel

secretary·< 1 year

20 former officers — most recent departure: Mar 2026

Sumandeep Kaur Harris

director·1 year·Resigned Mar 2026

Nicole Riley

director·3 years·Resigned Oct 2023

Jennie Homer

secretary·3 years·Resigned Aug 2025

Dominic James Bradley

director·4 years·Resigned Sept 2023

John Stephenson

director·4 years·Resigned Jan 2023

Mohammed Emtiyaz Raza Chowdhury

Member schools (14)

14 schools|12 with risk flags|14 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Abbeywood First School	142541	Primary	workforce pressure
Arrow Vale High School	138505	Secondary	high absence
Arrow Valley First School	148140	Primary	high staff costsin year deficit
Church Hill Middle School	142543	Middle deemed secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Gospel Oak School	135599	Secondary	ofsted concernhigh absence
Holyhead School	137034	Secondary	workforce pressure
Ipsley CofE Middle School	139020	Middle deemed secondary	—
Lickhill Primary School	137825	Primary	high staff costsin year deficit
Matchborough First School Academy	140309	Primary	high absencehigh staff costsin year deficit
Oak Hill First School	150403	Primary	high staff costs
Oldbury Park Primary School	147550	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitperformance decline
St Stephen's CofE First School	147165	Primary	—
Sutton Park Primary School	146749	Primary	workforce pressure
Waseley Hills High School	138664	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence