Sussex Learning Trust

UID 5214·Companies House 07705100·Incorporated July 2011·Compare

Schools

Flags

4 high severity

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: May 2024Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2025/26Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£22.9m

4,054 pupils

Avg staff costs

71.4%

of income

Avg reserves

14.1%

of income

Avg absence

6.4%

Persistent: 15.6%

More metrics

Avg FSM

15.0%

free school meals

Capacity

99%

4,054 / 4,095 places

Trust overview

5 of 6 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

1 school is operating in deficit — this may reflect planned investment or require financial planning.

1 of 6 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 50% of schools (3 of 6).

2 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

83% 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 4.2%below 5% threshold5 schools with staff costs above 78%1 school in deficit1 school with declining results1 school with workforce pressure2 schools with absence above 8%1 school with Ofsted concerns

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

50% Good+

Good 1RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Good 2

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 1

Leadership & management

83% Good+

Outst. 1Good 4RI 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

48.6

+2.4

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

63.6%

+2.6pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressWarden Park Broad Street, Haywards Heath, RH17 5DP

Companies House07705100

Incorporated14 July 2011

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	4	3,325	£19.0m	£18.1m	76.8%	4.4%
2022/23	5	3,527	£21.1m	£19.7m	77.2%	3.5%
2023/24	6	4,189	£25.6m	£25.3m	73.6%	10.4%
2024/25partial	6	4,234	£680k	£534k	67.3%	22.1%

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

£1,542,000

CS staff costs

£669,000

CS income

£731,000

Admin & clerical£201,000

Teaching staff£359,000

ICT£0

Premises£0

Legal & professional£28,000

Auditor costs£38,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

11 current directors · Average tenure: 5.1 years · 4 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (11)

Harbinder Singh Dhesi

director·< 1 year

Rowan Patricia Williams

director·< 1 year

Kathleen Anne Russ

director·1 year

Nicola Jayne Waters

director·1 year

Phillip George Potter

director·3 years

Richard Henry Stevens

director·4 years

Jessica Margaret Gray

director·5 years

Stuart John Robertson

director·5 years

Hamish Robert Mason Hill

director·8 years

Esther Mary Gunter

director·9 years

Jonathan Christopher Ash-edwards

director·14 years

Company Secretary

Jennifer Anne Howard

secretary·11 years

18 former officers — most recent departure: Dec 2025

Subburathinam Veluswamy

director·3 years·Resigned Dec 2025

Peter David Hiscock

director·4 years·Resigned Jul 2025

Joelle Mary Packham

director·4 years·Resigned Mar 2023

Margaret Elizabeth Eve Carroll

director·4 years·Resigned Jan 2022

Jeffrey Clark Thompson

director·6 years·Resigned Dec 2023

Claire Homer

Member schools (6)

6 schools|6 with risk flags|4 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Billingshurst Primary Academy	150705	Primary	ofsted concernhigh staff costsin year deficit
Chichester Free School	139668	All-through	high staff costshigh absence
Northlands Wood Primary Academy	144453	Primary	high staff costs
Warden Park Primary Academy	137211	Primary	high staff costsworkforce pressure
Warden Park Secondary Academy	137416	Secondary	high staff costs
Woodgate Primary Academy	149522	Primary	high absenceperformance decline