The Bishop Fraser Trust

UID 16888·Companies House 11005401·Incorporated October 2017·Compare

Schools

Flags

2 high severity

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

Total income

£40.0m

5,459 pupils

Avg staff costs

75.0%

of income

Avg reserves

9.1%

of income

Avg absence

6.1%

Persistent: 14.6%

More metrics

Avg FSM

25.6%

free school meals

Capacity

98%

5,459 / 5,572 places

Trust overview

1 of 7 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

1 of 7 schools have reserves below the DfE's 5% minimum.

Overall absence is above the national average in 43% of schools (3 of 7).

2 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

3 of 7 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 workforce pressure1 school with declining results3 schools with Ofsted concerns2 schools with absence above 8%1 school with staff costs above 78%

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

50% Good+

Good 3RI 3

Behaviour & attitudes

83% Good+

Outst. 2Good 3RI 1

Personal development

83% Good+

Outst. 1Good 4RI 1

Leadership & management

71% Good+

Outst. 1Good 4RI 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

47.7

+1.5

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

57.0%

-4.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressTbft Central Office, Bolton St Catherine's Academy, Bolton, BL2 4HU

Companies House11005401

Incorporated10 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	5	4,923	£31.5m	£31.0m	73.2%	11.2%
2022/23	5	4,931	£28.5m	£27.2m	71.9%	-192.4%
2023/24	5	4,930	£36.4m	£34.8m	73.9%	10.0%
2024/25partial	5	4,890	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

5.0%

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

£2,001,000

CS staff costs

£1,783,000

CS income

£96,000

Admin & clerical£1,269,000

Teaching staff£445,000

ICT£0

Premises£4,000

Legal & professional£83,000

Auditor costs£19,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

7 current directors · Average tenure: 3.7 years · 2 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (7)

Gaenor Prest

director·< 1 year

Rhys Coetmor Jones

director·1 year

Nicola Marie King

director·2 years

Hannah Kate Rev Lane

director·3 years

Scott Mcgrory

director·4 years

Jason Hyde

director·4 years

Lesley Anne Durosomo

director·8 years

19 former officers — most recent departure: Aug 2025

Melanie Darlington

director·3 years·Resigned Dec 2024

Penny Clarke

director·4 years·Resigned Feb 2023

Gill Smith

director·4 years·Resigned May 2024

Julian Roger Reverend Heaton

director·4 years·Resigned Sept 2024

Liz Nicholls

director·4 years·Resigned Sept 2024

Norah Burns

Member schools (7)

7 schools|5 with risk flags|2 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Bolton St Catherine's Academy	145314	All-through	high absenceworkforce pressureofsted concern
Bury Church of England High School	148866	Secondary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh absence
Canon Slade School	144044	Secondary	—
St Catherine's CofE Primary School	144045	Primary	performance decline
St James's Church of England High School	144046	Secondary	—
St Margaret's Church of England Primary School	152264	Primary	high staff costs
Walmsley CofE Primary School	152265	Primary	ofsted concern