Exceed Academies Trust

UID 16492·Companies House 10050238·Incorporated March 2016·Compare

Schools

Flags

18 high severity

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

Total income

£42.6m

4,801 pupils

Avg staff costs

70.3%

of income

Avg reserves

11.3%

of income

Avg absence

7.3%

Persistent: 20.3%

More metrics

Avg FSM

44.6%

free school meals

Capacity

79%

4,801 / 6,100 places

Total admin cost

£1.5m

£306 per pupil

Trust overview

5 of 14 schools have staff costs above the DfE's 78% review threshold — review against school context.

1 school is operating in deficit — this may reflect planned investment or require financial planning.

7 of 14 schools had expenditure exceeding income this year.

Overall absence is above the national average in 50% of schools (6 of 12).

5 schools have persistent absence above 20%.

86% 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.

Ofsted sub-judgements

Quality of education

89% Good+

Outst. 4Good 4RI 1

Behaviour & attitudes

89% Good+

Outst. 5Good 3RI 1

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 6Good 3

Leadership & management

93% Good+

Outst. 4Good 9RI 1

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

24.8

-21.4

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

57.0%

-4.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressHorton Park Primary School, Bradford, BD5 9LQ

Companies House10050238

Incorporated8 March 2016

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	10	4,569	£32.9m	£30.7m	67.1%	14.3%
2022/23	13	5,563	£39.8m	£38.7m	69.9%	22.9%
2023/24	14	5,668	£42.6m	£43.1m	70.3%	11.3%
2024/25partial	14	5,627	—	—	—	—

Central services — 2023/24

Centralisation

4.8%

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

£2,153,000

CS staff costs

£1,366,000

CS income

£688,000

Admin & clerical£561,000

Teaching staff£716,000

ICT£0

Premises£483,000

Legal & professional£144,000

Auditor costs£30,000

Governance

Accounts to Aug 2025Source: Companies House

9 current directors · Average tenure: 4.9 years · 2 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (9)

Kathryn Anne Cox

director·< 1 year

Umar Farooq Ghafoor

director·1 year

Hearl Roger Lenton

director·3 years

Christopher William Webb

director·3 years

Iain James Gordon

director·5 years

Belinda Claire Fearnley

director·6 years

Jason Edwards

director·7 years

Victoria Caroline Shelton Eaton

director·7 years

Carol Sharon Lambert

director·7 years

Company Secretary

Peter James Taylor

secretary·7 years

12 former officers — most recent departure: Feb 2026

Jonathan Edward Nichols

director·3 years·Resigned Mar 2023

Salma Sultana Rahman

director·4 years·Resigned Oct 2022

Elaine Margaret Hughes

director·8 years·Resigned Feb 2026

Sandra Georgina Dr Whitson

director·8 years·Resigned Dec 2021

Ian Willoughby

director·8 years·Resigned Jul 2019

Jo-Anna Jane Barr

Member schools (14)

14 schools|13 with risk flags|16 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Appleton Academy	145173	All-through	workforce pressurehigh absence
Baildon Glen Primary School	149093	Primary	workforce pressurein year deficitperformance declineofsted concern
Bowling Park Primary School	149232	Primary	workforce pressure
Bradford Alternative Provision Academy	146851	Not applicable	workforce pressure
Cavendish Primary School	149583	Primary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Copthorne Primary School	143096	Primary	workforce pressureperformance decline
Cottingley Village Primary School	148159	Primary	workforce pressure
Harden Primary School	140076	Primary	—
Holybrook Primary School	145303	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Horton Grange Primary School	143093	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Horton Park Primary School	143095	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitworkforce pressureperformance decline
Knowleswood Primary School	149586	Primary	ofsted concernhigh absencein year deficitworkforce pressure
Oastlers School	149519	Not applicable	high absencehigh staff costsin year deficit
Park Aspire Alternative Provision Academy	150425	Not applicable	high staff costsin year deficit