The Primary First Trust

UID 4245·Companies House 08738750·Incorporated October 2013·Compare

Schools

Flags

3 high severity

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

Total income

£25.7m

4,164 pupils

Avg staff costs

70.6%

of income

Avg reserves

0.1%

of income

Avg absence

5.5%

Persistent: 14.0%

More metrics

Avg FSM

20.9%

free school meals

Capacity

95%

4,164 / 4,362 places

Trust overview

1 of 11 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

11 of 11 schools have reserves below the DfE's 5% minimum.

Overall absence is above the national average in 18% of schools (2 of 11).

1 school has persistent absence above 20%.

82% 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 4.9%below 5% threshold6 schools with workforce pressure2 schools with declining results2 schools with Ofsted concerns1 school with staff costs above 78%1 school with absence above 8%

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

71% Good+

Outst. 2Good 3RI 2

Behaviour & attitudes

86% Good+

Outst. 3Good 3RI 1

Personal development

86% Good+

Outst. 3Good 3RI 1

Leadership & management

82% Good+

Outst. 3Good 6RI 2

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

56.8%

-4.2pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressThe White House, Gravesend, DA11 0DY

Companies House08738750

Incorporated18 October 2013

Trust growth over time

matpulse.co.uk

Schools Pupils

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	10	3,522	£18.6m	£19.4m	68.6%	0.1%
2022/23	10	3,587	£20.4m	£19.1m	69.9%	0.1%
2023/24	10	3,638	£22.8m	£20.6m	69.7%	0.1%
2024/25partial	11	4,287	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

10.1%

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

£2,631,000

CS staff costs

£1,128,000

CS income

£660,000

Admin & clerical£982,000

Teaching staff£0

ICT£31,000

Premises£1,139,000

Legal & professional£40,000

Auditor costs£46,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

11 current directors · Average tenure: 4.9 years · 4 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (11)

Philip Malsbury

director·< 1 year

Carol Anne Winn

director·< 1 year

Angela Suzanne Street

director·< 1 year

Emma Longley

director·2 years

Soumaya El-masri

director·2 years

Steven Ristow

director·3 years

Nigel Paul Richards

director·3 years

Alison Hales

director·5 years

Stephen Rumbles

director·10 years

Andrew Gordon Spearman

director·11 years

William John Harwood

director·12 years

10 former officers — most recent departure: Apr 2025

Juliet Mary Thorburn

director·2 years·Resigned Apr 2025

David William Jones

director·3 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Branwen Mary Dr Bingle

director·8 years·Resigned Aug 2019

Paul James Stingmore

director·8 years·Resigned Jun 2020

Sandra Margaret Connington

director·9 years·Resigned Jul 2022

Adelle Helen Martin

Member schools (11)

11 schools|8 with risk flags|3 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Barnehurst Infant School	140320	Primary	workforce pressure
Barnehurst Junior School	140321	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
Cuxton Community Infant School	141276	Primary	—
Cuxton Community Junior School	141224	Primary	—
Lessness Heath Primary School	141866	Primary	workforce pressure
Mayplace Primary School	141114	Primary	workforce pressure
Parkwood Primary School	151419	Primary	ofsted concernhigh staff costs
Springhead Park Primary School	147850	Primary	workforce pressure
Wainscott Primary School	147446	Primary	—
Wayfield Primary School	143909	Primary	high absenceofsted concernperformance decline
Westcourt Primary School	144005	Primary	workforce pressure