WITHERSLACK GROUP LIMITED
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Next accounts due
2026-08-31 (in 3mo)
Last filed for 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement due
2026-07-20 (in 2mo)
Last made up 2025-07-06
Watchouts
None on the register
Cash
£7M
-4.5% vs 2023
Net assets
£205M
+27.9% vs 2023
Employees
2,570
+10.1% vs 2023
Profit before tax
£47M
+33.2% vs 2023
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
Net assets
2-year trend · vs Consumer Discretionary median
Accounts
2-year trend · latest reflected 2024-08-31
| Metric | Trend | 2023-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £172,827,591 | £208,014,209 | |
| Operating profit | £35,655,203 | £47,530,557 | |
| Profit before tax | £35,587,926 | £47,394,530 | |
| Net profit | £34,820,937 | £44,609,447 | |
| Cash | £7,362,032 | £7,028,063 | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £164,014,525 | £208,741,873 | |
| Net assets | £160,144,495 | £204,753,942 | |
| Equity | £160,144,495 | £204,753,942 | |
| Average employees | 2,334 | 2,570 | |
| Wages | £80,594,449 | £93,520,036 |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2023-08-31 | 2024-08-31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 20.6% | 22.8% | |
| Net margin | 20.1% | 21.4% | |
| Return on capital employed | 21.7% | 22.8% | |
| Current ratio | 1.01x | 1.13x | |
| Interest cover | 529.98x | 349.42x |
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.
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“At the balance sheet date, the Company had net current assets of £11.0m (2023: £1.0m), and profit after tax of £44.6m (2023: £34.8m). The nature of the Company's business activities comprises education and residential care for children under contracts in place with Local Authorities. In assessing the Company's ability to continue as a going concern, the Directors have considered a wide range of information relating to present and future conditions, including future forecasts of profitability, cash flow and covenant compliance, and available capital resources. After conducting the financial projections exercise and making all appropriate enquiries, 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%
Significant events
- “During the financial year, the Company hived up the trade and assets of Patramus Limited to consolidate all trading activities into one operating entity.”
- “The Company continues to invest significant resource in the development of both the physical infrastructure of the schools as well as in the further development of the education and care services provided by the Company. There is a strong pipeline of further new sites that will be opened through 2025/26.”
- “On 5th September 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of Patramus Limited for cash consideration of £4,492,009.”
- “Subsequently on 1 August 2024, the trade and assets of its wholly owned subsidiary Patramus Limited were hived up into the Company to consolidate trading activities into a single entity.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
6 active · 21 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 |
| JONES, Judith | Director | 2025-09-11 | Oct 1965 | British |
| MORRIS, Jennifer May | Director | 2023-09-04 | Aug 1981 | British |
| WILKINS, Richard John | Director | 2019-09-01 | May 1968 | British |
Show 21 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 | 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 243 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
| 2023-01-19 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2022-08-01 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2022-06-07 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2021-12-08 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 4
- 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.
Year-on-year
FY2023 → FY2024 · period ending 2024-08-31 vs 2023-08-31
-
Turnover
+20.4%
£172,827,591 £208,014,209
-
Cash
-4.5%
£7,362,032 £7,028,063
-
Net assets
+27.9%
£160,144,495 £204,753,942
-
Employees
+10.1%
2,334 2,570
-
Operating profit
+33.3%
£35,655,203 £47,530,557
-
Profit before tax
+33.2%
£35,587,926 £47,394,530
-
Wages
+16%
£80,594,449 £93,520,036
Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers