Wise Academies

UID 5370·Companies House 07521946·Incorporated February 2011·Compare

Schools

Flags

14 high severity

Finance: 2025/26Ofsted: Feb 2026Performance: 2025/26Workforce: 2026/27Attendance: 2025/26

Total income

£41.7m

5,305 pupils

Avg staff costs

73.8%

of income

Avg reserves

7.4%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

44.4%

free school meals

Capacity

84%

5,305 / 6,300 places

Total admin cost

£1.6m

£304 per pupil

Trust overview

2 of 18 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

5 of 18 schools hold reserves below the DfE's 5% reference point.

Trust-average reserves have fallen about 2 percentage points over two years of published returns.

Absence is at or below the national average in 13 of 18 schools.

5 schools report persistent absence above 20%, a level the DfE prioritises for additional support.

All 18 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above — Good or better under the legacy framework, or Expected standard or above under the Report Card.

2 of these inspections used the new Report Card framework; its scale is not directly comparable with legacy grades.

Generated from published DfE and Ofsted data — year-end snapshots that cannot show in-year plans, restructuring or local context. Reference points are DfE review thresholds, not judgements.

Ofsted & results

Ofsted

100%meeting standard or above

Across 18 graded schools, including 2 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

93% Good+

Outst. 6Good 7RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Outst. 9Good 5

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 9Good 5

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 8Good 10

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

55.3%

-5.7pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressWise Academies Head Office Borodin Avenue, Sunderland, SR5 4NX

Companies House07521946

Incorporated8 February 2011

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

Grade distribution across 2 schoolsinspected under Ofsted's 5-point scale (from November 2025). Not directly comparable with the earlier 1–4 sub-judgements above.

Curriculum & teaching

Strong standard 2

Achievement

Strong standard 1Expected standard 1

Inclusion

Strong standard 2

Attendance & behaviour

Strong standard 2

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	13	3,593	£23.7m	£22.7m	73.6%	9.9%
2022/23	13	3,544	£23.8m	£22.1m	70.5%	10.9%
2023/24	16	4,074	£31.1m	£30.2m	74.4%	8.4%
2024/25partial	16	3,983	£32.5m	£30.7m	74.2%	7.0%
2025/26	16	3,910	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

6.3%

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

£2,658,000

CS staff costs

£2,177,000

CS income

£701,000

Admin & clerical£947,000

Teaching staff£1,163,000

ICT£7,000

Premises£13,000

Legal & professional£5,000

Auditor costs£27,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

11 current directors · Average tenure: 9.2 years · 4 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (11)

Gemma Louise Craik

director·< 1 year

Louise Carolyn Doyle

director·< 1 year

Eileen Grimes

director·1 year

Roger Michael Ward

director·7 years

David Pearson

director·8 years

Christine Collins

director·9 years

Nicola Sara Vokes

director·13 years

Robert Symonds

director·13 years

Zoe Carr

director·14 years

Margaret Elise Wright Stephenson

director·15 years

John Gibbon Wood

director·15 years

Company Secretary

John Gary Robinson

secretary·10 years

12 former officers — most recent departure: Jan 2026

Louise Hall

director·1 year·Resigned Dec 2025

Paul James Smith

director·11 years·Resigned Jan 2026

Natalie Fountain

director·12 years·Resigned Aug 2018

Jeanette Clennell

director·13 years·Resigned Aug 2014

Helen Linda Richardson

director·13 years·Resigned Apr 2014

Julie Southern

Member schools (18)

18 schools|18 with risk flags|13 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Adderlane Academy	143543	Primary	workforce pressure
Ashley Academy	149321	Primary	workforce pressure
Bexhill Academy	136487	Primary	high absence
Bothal Academy	152256	Primary	workforce pressure
Central Academy	152255	Primary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Croftway Academy	146545	Primary	workforce pressure
Esh Winning Academy	151058	Primary	workforce pressurehigh absenceperformance decline
Haltwhistle Primary Academy	146372	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
Hasting Hill Academy	138976	Primary	workforce pressure
Malvin's Close Academy	146544	Primary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Morpeth Road Academy	139756	Primary	high absenceworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
North View Academy	141153	Not applicable	high absenceperformance decline
Prudhoe West Academy	144180	Primary	workforce pressure
Shaftoe Trust Academy	145412	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
St Andrew's Academy	151060	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsperformance decline
Thornley Academy	151059	Primary	high absencehigh staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
Town End Academy	136486	Primary	workforce pressure
Welbeck Academy	138577	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh absencehigh staff costsin year deficit