Prosper Learning Trust

UID 16916·Companies House 11018923·Incorporated October 2017·Compare

Schools

Flags

2 high severity

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

Total income

£20.4m

648 pupils

Avg staff costs

73.5%

of income

Avg reserves

2.2%

of income

Avg absence

13.6%

Persistent: 36.4%

More metrics

Avg FSM

68.3%

free school meals

Capacity

74%

648 / 880 places

Trust overview

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

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

1 of 5 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 100% of schools (3 of 3).

1 school has persistent absence above 20%.

1 of 4 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

1 school in deficit1 school with absence above 8%3 schools with workforce pressure1 school with staff costs above 78%1 school with Ofsted concerns

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

50% Good+

Outst. 1RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

50% Good+

Outst. 1RI 1

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 1

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 2Good 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

0.0%

-61.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressProsper Learning Trust At Newcastle Bridges School, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 3RU

Companies House11018923

Incorporated18 October 2017

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	4	534	£13.2m	£11.9m	76.4%	2.7%
2022/23	4	551	£16.6m	£15.1m	72.3%	2.0%
2023/24	5	648	£20.4m	£18.8m	73.5%	2.2%
2024/25partial	5	771	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

6.3%

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

£1,254,000

CS staff costs

£1,010,000

CS income

-£970,000

Admin & clerical£646,000

Teaching staff£300,000

ICT£0

Premises£51,000

Legal & professional£70,000

Auditor costs£32,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

7 current directors · Average tenure: 3.3 years · 5 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Jonathan Heywood Morris

director·< 1 year

Sara Heary

director·< 1 year

James Ian Mearns

director·1 year

Ian Alexander Tweedie

director·2 years

Victoria Patricia Morton

director·2 years

Anthony Maher

director·7 years

Jemil Visram

director·8 years

Company Secretary

Victoria Louise Hall

secretary·7 years

12 former officers — most recent departure: Nov 2025

Caroline Cogdon

director·2 years·Resigned Feb 2025

Lynn King

director·3 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Neil Morrison

director·3 years·Resigned Dec 2023

Mohammad Hassnain Malik

director·6 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Susan Fulton

director·7 years·Resigned Oct 2022

Audrey Lindley

Member schools (5)

5 schools|4 with risk flags|2 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Gilbert Ward Academy	149842	Not applicable	in year deficitworkforce pressurehigh absence
Harry Watts Academy	147841	Not applicable	—
Mary Astell Academy	144358	Not applicable	ofsted concernworkforce pressure
Newcastle Bridges School	145361	Not applicable	workforce pressure
Thomas Bewick School	146680	Not applicable	high staff costs