The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust

UID 2342·Companies House 08399801·Incorporated February 2013·Compare

Schools

Flags

3 high severity

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

Total income

£33.2m

5,106 pupils

Avg staff costs

73.3%

of income

Avg reserves

5.8%

of income

Avg absence

4.4%

Persistent: 8.5%

More metrics

Avg FSM

11.8%

free school meals

Capacity

96%

5,106 / 5,317 places

Trust overview

3 of 16 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

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

5 of 16 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 19% of schools (3 of 16).

1 school has 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

Trust-wide reserves at 4.3%below 5% threshold6 of 10 directors appointed in last 2 yearsLast accounts filed 19 months ago10 schools with workforce pressure4 schools in deficit1 school with declining results3 schools with staff costs above 78%1 school with absence above 8%

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

100% Good+

Outst. 3Good 10

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Outst. 3Good 10

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 4Good 9

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 4Good 12

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

55.0

+8.8

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

65.0%

+4.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressThe Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust Bradford Road, Ilkley, LS29 6AE

Companies House08399801

Incorporated12 February 2013

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	13	4,890	£25.4m	£23.7m	69.3%	8.2%
2022/23	13	4,829	£30.0m	£28.4m	71.7%	5.9%
2023/24	16	5,106	£33.2m	£32.4m	73.3%	5.8%
2024/25partial	16	5,041	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

6.0%

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

£2,060,000

CS staff costs

£1,153,000

CS income

£709,000

Admin & clerical£660,000

Teaching staff£383,000

ICT£0

Premises£1,000

Legal & professional£218,000

Auditor costs£35,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2024Source: Companies House

10 current directors · Average tenure: 2.0 years · 5 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (10)

Aoibheann Mary Kelly-edwards

director·< 1 year

Jack Clarke

director·< 1 year

Ian Michael Legg

director·< 1 year

Sarah Martin

director·1 year

Duncan Jonathan Martin

director·1 year

Shaun Leonard Vickers

director·1 year

Kerry Kurczij

director·2 years

John Howard Barnes

director·2 years

Paul Christopher Jackson

director·3 years

Helen Louise Mills

director·5 years

Company Secretary

Jemma Johnson

secretary·5 years

30 former officers — most recent departure: Oct 2025

Joe Mcdonnell

director·1 year·Resigned Oct 2025

Catherine Jane Bell

director·3 years·Resigned Mar 2023

Sarah Dumont

director·3 years·Resigned Sept 2025

Andrew Liam Monsignor Summersgill

director·5 years·Resigned Jan 2025

Margaret Ann Professor Emeritus House

director·6 years·Resigned Jan 2021

Adam Little

Member schools (16)

16 schools|13 with risk flags|3 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	150419	Primary	in year deficit
Holy Name Catholic Voluntary Academy	142004	Primary	workforce pressure
Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	139354	Primary	workforce pressure
St John Fisher Catholic Academy	148855	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy	150299	Primary	workforce pressure
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	148879	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	139350	Primary	high staff costsworkforce pressure
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Harrogate, A Voluntary Academy	142159	Primary	workforce pressure
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley	139355	Primary	workforce pressure
St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Horsforth	139352	Primary	high staff costs
St Mary's Primary School Knaresborough, A Voluntary Catholic Academy	142176	Primary	—
St Robert's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy	148381	Primary	—
St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy	142023	Primary	—
St Wilfrid's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy	150420	Primary	in year deficit
St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy	139351	Secondary	workforce pressure
The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School	139353	Primary	in year deficitworkforce pressureperformance decline