North West Academies Trust Limited

UID 4029·Companies House 08852553·Incorporated January 2014·Compare

Schools

Flags

6 high severity

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

Total income

£18.4m

2,428 pupils

Avg staff costs

70.6%

of income

Avg reserves

1.1%

of income

Avg absence

5.8%

Persistent: 12.7%

More metrics

Avg FSM

20.1%

free school meals

Capacity

77%

2,428 / 3,165 places

Trust overview

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

4 of 12 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 33% of schools (4 of 12).

2 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

92% 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 1.2%below 5% thresholdLast accounts filed 19 months ago3 schools with absence above 8%3 schools with workforce pressure2 schools in deficit1 school with Ofsted concerns

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

90% Good+

Outst. 4Good 5Inad. 1

Behaviour & attitudes

90% Good+

Outst. 5Good 4Inad. 1

Personal development

90% Good+

Outst. 4Good 5Inad. 1

Leadership & management

92% Good+

Outst. 4Good 7Inad. 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

35.7

-10.5

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

72.0%

+11.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressThe Coach House, Chester, CH1 1QP

Companies House08852553

Incorporated20 January 2014

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	10	2,164	£13.5m	£13.0m	71.2%	3.1%
2022/23	10	2,216	£14.8m	£14.0m	70.3%	0.8%
2023/24	11	2,469	£17.1m	£16.5m	70.5%	1.3%
2024/25partial	12	2,522	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

3.4%

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

£631,000

CS staff costs

£402,000

CS income

£200,000

Admin & clerical£370,000

Teaching staff£12,000

ICT£0

Premises£72,000

Legal & professional£72,000

Auditor costs£2,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2024Source: Companies House

8 current directors · Average tenure: 5.9 years · 1 change in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (8)

Graham Peter Melia

director·1 year

Richard David James Smith

director·1 year

Nayland Anthony Southorn

director·3 years

Angela Catherine Rev Askwith

director·3 years

Sandra Jane Verity

director·4 years

Kay Lisa Cook

director·8 years

Adrian Peter Walmsley

director·11 years

Stephen Edward Docking

director·12 years

10 former officers — most recent departure: Oct 2025

Emma Leach

director·1 year·Resigned Jul 2024

Paul Campbell

director·4 years·Resigned May 2024

Elaine Margaret Reverend Ollman

director·8 years·Resigned Aug 2021

David Neville Jones

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2022

Kirsty Cobb

director·8 years·Resigned Oct 2025

Julie Roberts-joyce

Member schools (12)

12 schools|5 with risk flags|5 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Acresfield Academy	147489	Primary	in year deficit
Acton Church of England Primary Academy	143159	Primary	—
Calveley Primary Academy	143157	Primary	—
Delamere CofE Primary Academy	136553	Primary	—
Ellesmere Primary School	143326	Primary	—
Millfields Primary Academy	150231	Primary	—
St John's CofE Academy	151487	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh absence
St Martin's Academy Chester	139377	Primary	—
The Grosvenor Park Church of England Academy	146779	Primary	—
The Oak View Academy	140664	Primary	high absenceworkforce pressure
The Rudheath Senior Academy	137582	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Weaverham Primary Academy	146642	Primary	in year deficit