WITHERSLACK GROUP LIMITED
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Cash
£24m
+235.1% highest in 3 filed years
Net assets
£245m
+19.5% highest in 3 filed years
Employees
2,908
+9.5% highest in 3 filed years
Profit before tax
£47m
-1.1% vs 2024
Net assets
3-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
3-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-08-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-08-31 | 2024-08-31 | 2025-08-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £172,827,591 | £208,014,209 | £236,196,686 | +13.5% | |
| Operating profit | £35,655,203 | £47,587,035 | £54,194,288 | +13.9% | |
| Profit before tax | £35,587,926 | £47,394,530 | £46,888,159 | -1.1% | |
| Net profit | £34,820,937 | £44,609,447 | £39,969,520 | -10.4% | |
| Cash | £7,362,032 | £7,028,063 | £23,547,838 | +235.1% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £164,014,525 | £208,741,873 | £349,187,687 | +67.3% | |
| Net assets | £160,144,495 | £204,753,942 | £244,723,462 | +19.5% | |
| Equity | £160,144,495 | £204,753,942 | £244,723,462 | +19.5% | |
| Average employees | 2,334 | 2,656 | 2,908 | +9.5% | |
| Wages | £80,594,449 | £93,520,036 | £107,124,120 | +14.5% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £1,222,692 | £1,386,763 | £1,298,298 | -6.4% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | £267,826 | £151,240 | £147,262 | -2.6% | |
| Highest paid director | £267,746 | £335,000 | £343,125 | +2.4% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-08-31 | 2024-08-31 | 2025-08-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 20.6% | 22.9% | 22.9% | |
| Net margin | 20.1% | 21.4% | 16.9% | |
| Return on capital employed | 21.7% | 22.8% | 15.5% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 33.5% | 30.1% | 50.1% | |
| Current ratio | 1.01x | 1.13x | 1.83x | |
| Interest cover | — | — | 7.42x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 3 times since incorporation
- WITHERSLACK GROUP LIMITED 2012-06-13 → present
- JAMES BOWERS EDUCATION LIMITED 2002-10-09 → 2012-06-13
- WESTMORLAND EDUCATION SERVICES LIMITED 1998-12-22 → 2002-10-09
- DOWNMARK LIMITED 1998-06-10 → 1998-12-22
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“the Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company have access to adequate resources to enable them to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, the Directors continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the Company's financial statements.”
Group structure
- WITHERSLACK GROUP LIMITED · parent
- Belle Vue House Assessment Centre Limited 100%
- Witherslack Training and Development Limited 100%
- Witherslack Care Limited 100%
- Cedar House School and Lowgate house Limited 100%
- Witherslack Hall School Limited 100%
- Pontville School Limited 100%
- Lakeside School Limited 100%
- Chilworth Schools Limited 100%
- Cumberland and Westmorland Schools Limited 100%
- Witherslack Group of Schools Limited 100%
- Queensmead Property Limited 100%
- Witherslack Wiltshire Limited 100%
- Eagle House Group Limited 100%
- Eagle House (Mitchem) Limited 100%
- Patramus Limited 100%
- The Secret Garden School Limited 100%
Significant events
- “Acquisition of The Secret Garden school in the Midlands.”
- “changes in legislation to VAT on education fees which were exempt and are no longer from 1 January 2025.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 22 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BACON, Stephen | Secretary | 2022-10-07 | — | — |
| BACON, Stephen | Director | 2020-08-17 | Dec 1965 | British |
| BOWES, Mark Edwin | Director | 2023-08-15 | Jul 1975 | British |
| DRINKALL, Christopher John Julian | Director | 2026-05-20 | Apr 1964 | English |
| MORRIS, Jennifer May | Director | 2023-09-04 | Aug 1981 | British |
| WILKINS, Richard John | Director | 2019-09-01 | May 1968 | British |
Show 22 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAXTER, Craig | Secretary | 2013-10-21 | 2018-09-05 |
| DYSON, Kevin Frederick | Secretary | 2018-09-05 | 2020-01-17 |
| JOHNSON, Joanne | Secretary | 1998-06-12 | 2001-07-06 |
| JONES, Judith | Secretary | 2020-01-17 | 2022-10-07 |
| JONES, Judith | Secretary | 2011-06-15 | 2013-10-21 |
| SCAIFE, Sally | Secretary | 2001-07-06 | 2011-06-15 |
| TEMPLE SECRETARIES LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Secretary | 1998-06-10 | 1998-06-12 |
| BARROW, Michael Anthony | Director | 2011-05-16 | 2019-08-31 |
| BAXTER, Craig | Director | 2012-09-03 | 2018-09-05 |
| BOWERS, James Francis | Director | 1998-06-12 | 2011-05-16 |
| CARTER, Jayne Louise | Director | 2019-08-31 | 2023-09-30 |
| DAVEY, Michael | Director | 2011-05-16 | 2016-01-31 |
| DYSON, Kevin Frederick | Director | 2018-09-05 | 2020-01-17 |
| FLETCHER-RAY, Tracey | Director | 2022-11-14 | 2025-09-11 |
| FRAY, Kelley Ann | Director | 2015-12-23 | 2018-03-31 |
| JONES, Judith | Director | 2025-09-11 | 2026-07-17 |
| JONES, Judith | Director | 2013-10-21 | 2022-10-07 |
| JONES, Philip David | Director | 2006-04-04 | 2022-10-07 |
| MILLS, Charles Gerard | Director | 2006-04-04 | 2008-07-24 |
| TAYLOR, Julie Ann | Director | 2019-08-31 | 2022-07-31 |
| TENNANT, Howard Charles | Director | 2012-06-26 | 2021-08-26 |
| COMPANY DIRECTORS LIMITED | Corporate Nominee Director | 1998-06-10 | 1998-06-12 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Witherslack Group (Holdings) Limited | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100%, Voting 75–100%, Appoints directors | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 247 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-02 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-07-29 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2026-07-28 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-07-27 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-10-09 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2025-10-09 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-07-24 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-05-30 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-07-14 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2024-07-08 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-10-11 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-10-11 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-10-11 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-07-20 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2023-06-08 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-02-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2023-01-19 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2023-01-19 | AP03 | officers | Appoint person secretary company with name date | |
| 2023-01-19 | TM02 | officers | Termination secretary company with name termination date | |
| 2023-01-19 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 6
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 1
- Officers resigned
- 1
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.