The Aspire Educational Trust

UID 5594·Companies House 08689696·Incorporated September 2013·Compare

Schools

Flags

2 high severity

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

Total income

£26.8m

4,011 pupils

Avg staff costs

75.9%

of income

Avg reserves

8.6%

of income

Avg absence

5.1%

Persistent: 12.5%

More metrics

Avg FSM

24.0%

free school meals

Capacity

92%

4,011 / 4,337 places

Trust overview

2 of 13 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

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

1 of 13 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 15% of schools (2 of 13).

2 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

All 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

4 schools with workforce pressure2 schools with declining results2 schools with staff costs above 78%1 school in deficit

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 6

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Outst. 2Good 5

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 3Good 4

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 2Good 11

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

59.5%

-1.5pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressAsh Grove Academy, Macclesfield, SK11 7TF

Companies House08689696

Incorporated13 September 2013

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	12	3,925	£21.9m	£20.4m	73.1%	13.9%
2022/23	12	3,889	£24.7m	£23.3m	73.6%	13.1%
2023/24	12	3,852	£25.6m	£24.9m	75.8%	10.1%
2024/25partial	13	4,037	£1.3m	£1.3m	77.8%	-9.2%

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

4.9%

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

£1,337,000

CS staff costs

£1,187,000

CS income

£120,000

Admin & clerical£251,000

Teaching staff£915,000

ICT£13,000

Premises£22,000

Legal & professional-£14,000

Auditor costs£49,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

7 current directors · Average tenure: 4.4 years · 1 change in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Lynn Treadway

director·1 year

Robert Mark Carr

director·1 year

Kathryn Louise Davies

director·2 years

Helen Clare Marsh

director·3 years

Carol Ann Sharples

director·3 years

Jane Felicity Jane Tomlinson

director·5 years

Kevin Simpson

director·12 years

27 former officers — most recent departure: Jul 2025

Martin Elliott

director·7 years·Resigned Dec 2022

Ann Alcock Harris

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2018

Paula Anne Hewer

director·8 years·Resigned May 2018

Paul Stoddard

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2018

Timothy Robert Hailwood

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2018

Debra Dr Charnley

Member schools (13)

13 schools|8 with risk flags|2 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Ash Grove Academy	140444	Primary	workforce pressure
Hollinhey Primary School	146430	Primary	workforce pressure
Holmes Chapel Primary School	140083	Primary	high staff costs
Hurdsfield Community Primary School and Nursery	151612	Primary	—
Ivy Bank Primary School	141792	Primary	in year deficit
Parkroyal Community School	140438	Primary	—
Peover Superior Endowed Primary School	141653	Primary	performance decline
Puss Bank School and Nursery	145248	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costs
Sandbach Primary Academy	141809	Primary	—
The Wilmslow Academy	143156	Primary	—
Underwood West Academy	143153	Primary	performance decline
Victoria Road Primary School	143164	Primary	workforce pressure
Wilbraham Primary School	145439	Primary	—