Northern Education Trust

UID 4036·Companies House 07189647·Incorporated March 2010·Compare

Schools

Flags

175

83 high severity

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

Total income

£170.0m

20,172 pupils

Avg staff costs

72.6%

of income

Avg reserves

0.5%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

44.7%

free school meals

Capacity

86%

20,172 / 23,589 places

Total admin cost

£7.9m

£393 per pupil

Trust overview

6 of 30 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

29 of 30 schools hold reserves below the DfE's 5% reference point.

Absence is above the national average in 17 of 30 schools. Attendance tracks intake and local circumstances as well as school practice.

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

25 of 30 inspected schools meet the expected standard or above.

5 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

83%meeting standard or above

Across 30 graded schools, including 5 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

73% Good+

Outst. 5Good 11RI 4Inad. 2

Behaviour & attitudes

68% Good+

Outst. 4Good 11RI 6Inad. 1

Personal development

82% Good+

Outst. 6Good 12RI 3Inad. 1

Leadership & management

80% Good+

Outst. 6Good 18RI 3Inad. 3

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

47.2

+1.0

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

77.7%

+16.7pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressThorp Academy, Ryton, NE40 3AH

Companies House07189647

Incorporated15 March 2010

Report Card inspections (new framework)

About these grades

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

Curriculum & teaching

Expected standard 2Strong standard 3

Achievement

Expected standard 1Strong standard 4

Inclusion

Expected standard 2Strong standard 3

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	25	16,242	£111.6m	£102.4m	69.8%	1.4%
2022/23	26	17,181	£122.7m	£114.8m	72.3%	1.3%
2023/24	29	18,931	£147.9m	£137.3m	72.2%	0.8%
2024/25partial	30	20,172	£170.0m	£156.3m	72.6%	0.5%
2025/26	30	19,675	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

5.0%

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

£8,296,000

CS staff costs

£5,311,000

CS income

£682,000

Admin & clerical£3,513,000

Teaching staff£1,196,000

ICT£0

Premises£919,000

Legal & professional£362,000

Auditor costs£167,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

8 current directors · Average tenure: 6.8 years · 1 change in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (8)

Wendy Jane Wilson

director·1 year

Eleni Chloe Ioannides

director·2 years

Robert Alban Flack

director·2 years

Neil Anthony Barker

director·6 years

Julie Elizabeth Kelly

director·6 years

Thomas Grieveson

director·11 years

John Copping

director·11 years

Mark Henry Sanders

director·12 years

21 former officers — most recent departure: Dec 2025

Gareth Evan Edmunds

secretary·2 years·Resigned Dec 2025

Judith Mitchell

secretary·3 years·Resigned Dec 2023

Gareth Evan Edmunds

secretary·5 years·Resigned Feb 2023

Joanne Louise Heaton

director·6 years·Resigned Feb 2025

Joanne Marie Nolan

director·7 years·Resigned Oct 2020

Andrew Hodgson

Member schools (30)

30 schools|30 with risk flags|45 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Abbey Park Academy	140172	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Badger Hill Academy	143618	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficitperformance decline
Buile Hill Academy	150868	Secondary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh absence
Chesham Primary Academy	150754	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Denton Community Academy	151485	Secondary	high absenceofsted concernworkforce pressure
Dyke House Sports and Technology College	139405	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Essa Academy	135770	Secondary	workforce pressure
Essa Primary Academy	140973	Primary	workforce pressure
Farringdon Community Academy	150268	Secondary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh absencein year deficit
Frederick Nattrass Primary Academy	140072	Primary	workforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Freebrough Academy	147541	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Hazlehurst Primary Academy	150782	Primary	ofsted concernworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficit
Hetton Academy	149235	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Hilton Primary Academy	138995	Primary	workforce pressure
Kearsley Academy	136135	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence
Kirk Balk Academy	140979	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure
Manor Community Academy	141686	Secondary	ofsted concernhigh absenceworkforce pressure
Merlin Top Primary Academy	139229	Primary	workforce pressure
Mount Pellon Primary Academy	139270	Primary	high absencein year deficitworkforce pressure
North Shore Academy	136146	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressure