Sherborne Area Schools' Trust

UID 16706·Companies House 08130468·Incorporated July 2012·Compare

Schools

Flags

7 high severity

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

Total income

£33.1m

5,069 pupils

Avg staff costs

68.4%

of income

Avg reserves

1.0%

of income

Avg absence

6.0%

Persistent: 15.9%

More metrics

Avg FSM

21.7%

free school meals

Capacity

72%

5,069 / 7,081 places

Trust overview

18 of 18 schools have reserves below the DfE's 5% minimum.

Overall absence is above the national average in 24% of schools (4 of 17).

5 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

94% 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 -4.4%below 5% threshold4 of 7 directors appointed in last 2 years6 schools with workforce pressure4 schools with absence above 8%3 schools with declining results1 school with Ofsted concerns

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

91% Good+

Good 10RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 10

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 10

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Good 18

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

43.1

-3.1

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

52.3%

-8.7pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressThe Gryphon School, Sherborne, DT9 4EQ

Companies House08130468

Incorporated4 July 2012

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	16	5,047	£31.8m	£29.7m	73.5%	2.8%
2022/23	18	5,816	£35.3m	£5.6m	53.9%	-0.1%
2023/24	18	5,689	£33.1m	£729k	68.4%	1.0%
2024/25partial	18	5,656	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

98.4%

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

£44,457,000

CS staff costs

£32,649,000

CS income

£5,797,000

Admin & clerical£601,000

Teaching staff£22,798,000

ICT£45,000

Premises£3,178,000

Legal & professional£408,000

Auditor costs£63,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

7 current directors · Average tenure: 1.9 years · 1 change in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Amanda Kopittke

director·1 year

Michael Lesser

director·1 year

Sandra Reynolds

director·1 year

Giles Pugh

director·1 year

Sarah Cathrine Busby

director·2 years

David George Middleton

director·2 years

Dan Roberts

director·2 years

Company Secretary

Georgina Spirrell

secretary·1 year

47 former officers — most recent departure: Oct 2025

Jens Bertelsen

director·2 years·Resigned Jan 2025

Sarah Lowkis

director·2 years·Resigned Oct 2025

Lee Miller

secretary·2 years·Resigned Oct 2024

Judith Rundle

director·2 years·Resigned Jun 2024

Roy Beavis

director·2 years·Resigned Jun 2024

Suzanne Mcdonald

Member schools (18)

18 schools|10 with risk flags|6 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Buckland Newton Church of England Primary School	144413	Primary	—
Charlton Horethorne Church of England Primary School	146896	Primary	performance decline
Harbour Vale School	146958	Not applicable	—
King Arthur's School	147016	Secondary	high absenceofsted concern
Motcombe CofE Primary School	141798	Primary	workforce pressure
Shaftesbury Church of England Primary School	141810	Primary	high absence
Shaftesbury School	140898	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary School	144414	Primary	—
Sherborne Primary School	144417	Primary	workforce pressure
Shillingstone Church of England Primary School	147141	Primary	—
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School	144951	Primary	—
St Andrew's Church of England Primary School	144416	Primary	workforce pressure
St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary School	147145	Primary	—
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford Abbas	144299	Primary	—
St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child Okeford	149656	Primary	performance declineworkforce pressure
Sturminster Newton High School	149657	Secondary	high absence
The Gryphon School	138471	Secondary	—
Thornford CofE Primary School	144415	Primary	performance declineworkforce pressure

Buckland Newton Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

Charlton Horethorne Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

performance decline

Harbour Vale SchoolNot applicable

King Arthur's SchoolSecondary

high absenceofsted concern

Motcombe CofE Primary SchoolPrimary

workforce pressure

Shaftesbury Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

high absence

Shaftesbury SchoolSecondary

high absenceworkforce pressure

Sherborne Abbey Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

Sherborne Primary SchoolPrimary

workforce pressure

Shillingstone Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

St Andrew's Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

workforce pressure

St Mary the Virgin Church of England Primary SchoolPrimary

St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bradford AbbasPrimary

St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Child OkefordPrimary

performance declineworkforce pressure

Sturminster Newton High SchoolSecondary

high absence

The Gryphon SchoolSecondary

Thornford CofE Primary SchoolPrimary

performance declineworkforce pressure

Alan Douglas Morris

director·3 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Peter Knell

secretary·4 years·Resigned Jan 2024

Jonathan Canon Triffitt

director·4 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Simon Jones

director·4 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Steven Lusher

director·4 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Claire Bedding

director·4 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Graham Colls

director·4 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Ruth Mary Sullivan

director·5 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Ian David Macfarlane

director·5 years·Resigned Jun 2023

John Maurice Maynard Ponsonby

director·7 years·Resigned Oct 2022

Caryl Robin Plewes

director·8 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Timothy Maurice Cobden Higham Bartley

director·8 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Christopher Roy Davey

director·8 years·Resigned Jun 2023

Jennifer Claire Dwyer

director·8 years·Resigned May 2018

Janis Margaret Maitland Hill

director·8 years·Resigned Mar 2021

Jill Hogben

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2019

Peter Stuart Tait

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2021

John Ernest Tregale

director·8 years·Resigned Jun 2021

Christopher Adam Vigar

secretary·10 years·Resigned Mar 2022

Juliana Helen Atyeo

director·11 years·Resigned May 2017

Antony James Cooke

director·12 years·Resigned Jan 2021

Harry Straughan

director·12 years·Resigned Aug 2016

Bernard Samuel Brown

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

Donald Albert Mildenhall

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2015

Jacqueline Ann Brighouse

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

Claire Louise Todd Moses

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2016

Stephen Murcer

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

Mark Raymond Boxall

director·13 years·Resigned May 2015

Tracey Ann Marie Ayres

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2015

Michael John Sandy

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

Anne Marie Mbe Sinnot

director·13 years·Resigned Apr 2016

Stephen Mark Hillier

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2021

Thomas Owen Crassweller

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

William Allen Mcfall Burn

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2013

Melanie Marie Brown

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2013

Margaret Ann George

director·13 years·Resigned Feb 2017

Adrian Nigel Harding

director·13 years·Resigned Nov 2015

Gordon Stuart Smith

secretary·13 years·Resigned Aug 2015

Philip James Tebbatt

director·13 years·Resigned Feb 2021

David Sydney Smart

director·13 years·Resigned May 2017

Nigel Ieuan Rees

director·13 years·Resigned May 2023