Northern Leaders Trust

UID 3598·Companies House 07964133·Incorporated February 2012·Compare

Schools

Flags

5 high severity

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

Total income

£22.2m

2,350 pupils

Avg staff costs

69.7%

of income

Avg reserves

4.7%

of income

Avg absence

12.9%

Persistent: 35.9%

More metrics

Avg FSM

63.0%

free school meals

Capacity

84%

2,350 / 2,784 places

Trust overview

1 of 2 schools have reserves below the DfE's 5% minimum.

2 of 2 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 100% of schools (2 of 2).

2 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

2 of 2 inspected schools have a sub-judgement area rated Requires Improvement — see their profiles for context.

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

At a glance

2 schools with absence above 8%1 school in deficit2 schools with Ofsted concerns1 school with workforce pressure

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

0% Good+

RI 2

Behaviour & attitudes

0% Good+

RI 2

Personal development

50% Good+

Good 1RI 1

Leadership & management

0% Good+

RI 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

34.8

-11.4

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressKenton School Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 3RU

Companies House07964133

Incorporated24 February 2012

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	2	2,354	£17.4m	£16.1m	62.4%	12.6%
2022/23	2	2,393	£20.5m	£19.1m	61.5%	11.1%
2023/24	2	2,350	£22.2m	£23.2m	69.7%	4.7%
2024/25partial	2	2,259	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

4.2%

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

£1,015,000

CS staff costs

£806,000

CS income

£82,000

Admin & clerical£488,000

Teaching staff£202,000

ICT£0

Premises£74,000

Legal & professional£53,000

Auditor costs£25,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

7 current directors · Average tenure: 5.0 years · 2 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Darren Brian Holmes

director·< 1 year

Oliver Dr Harness

director·2 years

Lee Kirtley

director·3 years

Nickela Nichol

director·6 years

Craig Hart

director·7 years

Therese Dr Quincey

director·7 years

Raymond Frederick Steele

director·8 years

Company Secretary

Tracy Suzanne Carson

secretary·6 years

31 former officers — most recent departure: Jul 2025

Lynne Ackland

director·3 years·Resigned Jul 2025

Ian Stewart Kershaw

director·4 years·Resigned Dec 2022

David Ronald James Smith

director·4 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Abi Blair Kelly

director·4 years·Resigned Aug 2023

Ian Mcniven Lane

director·6 years·Resigned Dec 2021

Mohamed Dr Sorour

Member schools (2)

2 schools|2 with risk flags|3 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Kenton School	138120	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressureofsted concern
Studio West	140965	Secondary	high absencein year deficitofsted concern

Kenton SchoolSecondary

high absenceworkforce pressureofsted concern

Studio WestSecondary

high absencein year deficitofsted concern

·Resigned Sept 2023

Anne Malcolm

director·7 years·Resigned Aug 2022

Charlotte Elizabeth Orford

director·7 years·Resigned Jun 2019

Gillian Stafford

director·7 years·Resigned Mar 2019

Abi Blair Kelly

director·7 years·Resigned Mar 2020

Martin Surtees

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2021

Siobhan Elisabeth O'neil

director·8 years·Resigned Jan 2019

Kevin Martin Mcdermid

director·8 years·Resigned Nov 2019

Simon Davidson Hanson

director·9 years·Resigned May 2018

Karen Mills

director·11 years·Resigned Aug 2018

Bob Paton

director·11 years·Resigned Nov 2016

Rebecca Jane Redshaw