Three Spires Trust

UID 17500·Companies House 13153266·Incorporated January 2021·Compare

Schools

Flags

14 high severity

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

Total income

£31.7m

4,090 pupils

Avg staff costs

74.0%

of income

Avg reserves

2.3%

of income

Avg absence

More metrics

Avg FSM

36.7%

free school meals

Capacity

91%

4,090 / 4,480 places

Total admin cost

£1.6m

£392 per pupil

Trust overview

2 of 7 schools report staff costs above the DfE's 78% review point. Staffing ratios reflect phase mix, curriculum and local context as much as efficiency.

4 of 7 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 5 percentage points over two years of published returns.

3 of 7 schools spent more than their income in the latest year. Single-year deficits are common around growth, building works or falling rolls; multi-year patterns matter more than one snapshot.

Absence is above the national average in 4 of 7 schools. Attendance tracks intake and local circumstances as well as school practice.

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

6 of 7 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

86%meeting standard or above

Across 7 graded schools, including 1 under the new Report Card framework. The two frameworks are not directly comparable.

Sub-judgements — earlier framework

Quality of education

100% Good+

Good 5

Behaviour & attitudes

100% Good+

Good 5

Personal development

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 4

Leadership & management

100% Good+

Outst. 1Good 6

Performance (trust avg)

Key Stage 4

Attainment 8

40.5

-5.7

vs national

Key Stage 2

Expected standard (RWM)

56.0%

-5.0pp

vs national

National averages: 2023/24

Trust details

AddressNew Beacon Building Stafford Education & Enterprise Park, Stafford, ST18 0BF

Companies House13153266

Incorporated22 January 2021

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

Needs attention 1

Inclusion

Strong standard 1

Attendance & behaviour

Expected standard 1

Personal development

Year	Schools	Pupils	Total income	Total expenditure	Avg staff costs %	Avg reserves %
2021/22	4	2,548	£15.6m	£15.1m	76.6%	10.3%
2022/23	5	3,243	£22.2m	£21.8m	75.8%	5.7%
2023/24	6	3,776	£25.9m	£26.3m	77.6%	3.3%
2024/25partial	7	4,090	£31.7m	£30.4m	74.0%	2.3%
2025/26	7	4,070	—	—	—	—

Central services

2024/25

Centralisation

7.1%

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

£2,331,000

CS staff costs

£1,801,000

CS income

£162,000

Admin & clerical£895,000

Teaching staff£794,000

ICT£7,000

Premises£2,000

Legal & professional£177,000

Auditor costs£57,000

Governance

Source: Companies House

Board of trustees

Accounts to Aug 2025

8 current directors · Average tenure: 3.3 years · 2 changes in last 12 months

Directors / Trustees (8)

Sherrie Burnham

director·< 1 year

Matthew Jevons

director·1 year

Ian Rev. Budd

director·1 year

Roger Revd. Farnworth

director·3 years

Helen Robertson

director·4 years

Kirsten Alexandra Covey

director·4 years

Sukhbir Singh Farar

director·5 years

David John Venerable Dr Lee

director·5 years

7 former officers — most recent departure: Mar 2026

Tessa Tennyson

director·3 years·Resigned Sept 2023

Julie Pilmore

director·5 years·Resigned Mar 2026

Peter Dolman

director·5 years·Resigned Mar 2022

Ben Halstead

director·5 years·Resigned Jan 2025

Samuel James Hudman

director·5 years·Resigned Feb 2022

Jonathan Ian Lawson

Member schools (7)

7 schools|7 with risk flags|9 high severity

School	URN	Phase	Risk flags
Hanley St Luke's Church of England Academy	150423	Primary	in year deficitworkforce pressure
St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy	141486	Primary	workforce pressure
St Michael's CofE Primary Academy	151479	Primary	in year deficitworkforce pressure
St Peter's Collegiate Academy	138852	Secondary	workforce pressureofsted concern
St Regis Church of England Academy	147113	Secondary	high absenceworkforce pressurehigh staff costsin year deficitofsted concern
St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy	148401	Primary	high staff costsin year deficitperformance declineworkforce pressure
The King's CofE Academy	148402	Secondary	workforce pressurehigh absence