Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust

UID 16035·Companies House 07890590·Incorporated December 2011·Compare

Schools

Flags

149

43 high severity

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

Total income

£104.9m

14,031 pupils

Avg staff costs

74.9%

of income

Avg reserves

0.5%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

19.3%

free school meals

Capacity

91%

14,031 / 15,402 places

Total admin cost

£5.3m

£377 per pupil

Trust overview

11 of 46 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

15 of 46 schools report negative revenue reserves at year-end. A year-end snapshot can reflect planned spend-down, in-trust transfers or timing; the trust's audited accounts give the fuller picture.

Trust-average reserves have fallen about 18 percentage points over two years of published returns.

Absence is at or below the national average in 40 of 46 schools.

45 of 46 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above.

1 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

98%meeting standard or above

Across 46 graded schools, including 1 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

97% Good+

Outst. 6Good 22RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

97% Good+

Outst. 14Good 14RI 1

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 11Good 18

Leadership & management

98% Good+

Outst. 7Good 38RI 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

51.3

+5.1

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

69.7%

+8.7pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressBishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Hq Barmston Court, Nissan Way, Sunderland, SR5 3NY

Companies House07890590

Incorporated22 December 2011

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

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

Curriculum & teaching

Expected standard 1

Achievement

Expected standard 1

Inclusion

Expected standard 1

Attendance & behaviour

Expected standard 1

Personal development

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	46	14,888	£82.1m	£77.0m	70.0%	18.5%
2022/23	46	14,700	£87.3m	£86.9m	70.3%	10.4%
2023/24	46	14,444	£101.6m	£99.6m	73.8%	2.2%
2024/25partial	46	14,031	£104.9m	£100.7m	74.9%	0.5%
2025/26	46	13,902	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

7.6%

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

£8,272,000

CS staff costs

£4,246,000

CS income

£3,258,000

Admin & clerical£1,168,000

Teaching staff£2,738,000

ICT£0

Premises£2,656,000

Legal & professional£42,000

Auditor costs£75,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

9 current directors · Average tenure: 4.6 years · 4 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (9)

Kimberley Dr Hardcastle

director·< 1 year

Kourosh Manoucheri

director·< 1 year

Shaun Patrick Father Purdy

director·2 years

Edmund Gerard Dolphin

director·2 years

David Charles Hicks

director·4 years

Alan Egdell

director·4 years

Angela Boyle

director·7 years

Martin Gannon

director·8 years

Christopher Allan Coxon

director·11 years

Company Secretary

Anne Louise Levy

secretary·14 years

26 former officers — most recent departure: Jan 2026

Michelle Shotton

director·1 year·Resigned Jan 2026

James Ian Mearns

director·1 year·Resigned Oct 2025

Helen Doris Keough

director·2 years·Resigned Jul 2024

Patricia Bernadette Witte

director·2 years·Resigned May 2025

Kirsty Hutchinson

director·2 years·Resigned Jul 2024

Steven Horne

Member schools (46)

46 schools|43 with risk flags|32 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
All Saints' Catholic Primary School, Lanchester	148610	Primary	workforce pressure
Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead	137852	Secondary	high absencehigh staff costsworkforce pressure
Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School, Gateshead	148907	Primary	workforce pressure
Our Lady & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Ushaw Moor	148206	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficithigh absence
Our Lady and St Joseph Brooms Catholic Primary School, Leadgate	148820	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressureperformance declinein year deficit
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Primary School, Penshaw	147139	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Byermoor	140638	Primary	—
St Agnes' Catholic Primary School, Crawcrook	149051	Primary	workforce pressure
St Alban's Catholic Primary School, Pelaw	148410	Primary	performance decline
St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green	147135	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, Gateshead	148605	Primary	workforce pressure
St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Sacriston	148204	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington	147138	Primary	workforce pressure
St Bede's Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Lanchester	138172	Secondary	high absenceofsted concernin year deficitworkforce pressure
St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston	148205	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street	148259	Primary	workforce pressure
St Godric's Catholic Primary School, Durham	148207	Primary	workforce pressure
St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington	147147	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressure
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley	148809	Primary	workforce pressure
St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley	148844	Primary	workforce pressure