WITHERSLACK GROUP OF SCHOOLS LIMITED

💤Zombieactive
03167972 · ltd · incorporated 1996-03-05
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
Why now
Window steady · low confidence
Steady and stalled — no momentum either way. Needs an approach trigger.
What changed my view
Last 30 days

No material changes in the last 30 days.

Last 90 days

No snapshot from 90 days ago — start tracking from today.

Last 180 days

No snapshot from 180 days ago — start tracking from today.

🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
🔔
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What this business does
Primary activity: Primary education
Sector: Education
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 85310General secondary education
  • 87900Other residential care activities n.e.c.
Investor take
Pursue
Active trading company with a 61-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.

Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Strong seller-intent signal (65/100, director aged 61). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 5 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).

🏦

Refinance opportunity

11 live charges · 5 lenders · oldest 28.5y

15/100
under pressure

Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.

  • · Oldest live charge is 28.5 years old — likely at or near maturity.
  • · 5 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
  • · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.

Data confidence

Overall: medium (59/100)

Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.

Company profile
address, 3 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
11 charges (11/11 with lender, 11/11 with type)
90
Directors & officers
24 officers (2 active, 24 linked, 15 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
10 connected companies via shared directors
75
Filing history
152 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (87 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-09
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  2. 2025-09-11
    ➖
    FLETCHER-RAY, Tracey resigned
    director
  3. 2025-06-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  4. 2024-07-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  5. 2023-06-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  6. 2023-02-02
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  7. 2023-01-19
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  8. 2023-01-19
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  9. 2023-01-19
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  10. 2023-01-19
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  11. 2022-11-14
    ➕
    FLETCHER-RAY, Tracey appointed
    director
  12. 2022-10-07
    ➕
    BACON, Stephen appointed
    secretary
  13. 2022-10-07
    ➕
    BACON, Stephen appointed
    director
  14. 2022-10-07
    ➖
    JONES, Judith resigned
    secretary
  15. 2022-10-07
    ➖
    JONES, Philip David resigned
    director
  16. 2022-04-26
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  17. 2021-06-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  18. 2021-05-14
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
  19. 2020-05-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
    accounts · AA
  20. 2020-01-28
    📄
    appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP03
  21. 2020-01-28
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  22. 2020-01-28
    📄
    termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM02
  23. 2020-01-17
    ➖
    DYSON, Kevin Frederick resigned
    secretary
  24. 2020-01-17
    ➕
    JONES, Judith appointed
    secretary
  25. 2020-01-17
    ➖
    DYSON, Kevin Frederick resigned
    director
  26. 2019-09-05
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  27. 2019-09-05
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  28. 2019-08-31
    ➖
    BARROW, Michael Anthony resigned
    director
  29. 2019-08-31
    ➕
    DYSON, Kevin Frederick appointed
    director
  30. 2018-09-05
    ➖
    BAXTER, Craig resigned
    secretary
  31. 2018-09-05
    ➕
    DYSON, Kevin Frederick appointed
    secretary
  32. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #11
  33. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #10
  34. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #9
  35. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #8
  36. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #7
  37. 2017-09-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #6
  38. 2013-10-21
    ➕
    BAXTER, Craig appointed
    secretary
  39. 2013-10-21
    ➖
    JONES, Judith resigned
    secretary
  40. 2013-01-14
    🔒
    Charge registered #11
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (Acting as Security Agent)
  41. 2011-08-30
    ➖
    COUSINS, Anthony Walter resigned
    director
  42. 2011-06-15
    ➕
    JONES, Judith appointed
    secretary
  43. 2011-06-15
    ➖
    SCAIFE, Sally resigned
    secretary
  44. 2011-05-16
    ➖
    BOWERS, James Francis resigned
    director
  45. 2011-04-12
    🔒
    Charge registered #10
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
  46. 2011-02-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #5
  47. 2011-02-04
    🔓
    Charge satisfied #3
  48. 2011-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #9
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
  49. 2011-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #8
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
  50. 2011-01-28
    🔒
    Charge registered #7
    Lender: The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Showing most recent 50 of 87 events

Owner dependency

83/100
Critical — business is the founder

The business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.

FACTORS
  • +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 61 — approaching natural succession window.

Succession & seller-readiness

65/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 61. Early succession window.
  • primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 30 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.

Red flags

1 med ·
Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
medium

Multiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.

Group structure

Witherslack Group Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.

🏛️
Witherslack Group Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares · board control
ultimate parent
⬇
WITHERSLACK GROUP OF SCHOOLS LIMITED
This company · 03167972

Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).

Shareholders & ownership

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Witherslack Group Limited
Corporate entity
75–100%
75–100%board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control06/04/2016

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

🔒Co-director network graph

Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions

7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →
🔒Advanced scoring suite

Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.

Available from the Pro tier upwards.

See pricing →

Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1996-03-05
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC85200 — Primary education

Registered office

Lupton Tower
Lupton
Carnforth
Lancashire
LA6 2PR

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2026-08-31
Last made up to: 2024-08-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-09
Last: 2026-02-23

Officers (2 active · 22 resigned)

BACON, Stephen→
secretary · appointed 2022-10-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BACON, Stephen→
director · ~61y · appointed 2022-10-07
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
BAXTER, Craig→
secretary · appointed 2013-10-21 · resigned 2018-09-05
Resigned
DYSON, Kevin Frederick→
secretary · appointed 2018-09-05 · resigned 2020-01-17
Resigned
JOHNSON, Joanne→
secretary · appointed 1996-12-01 · resigned 2001-07-06
Resigned
JONES, Judith→
secretary · appointed 2020-01-17 · resigned 2022-10-07
Resigned
JONES, Judith→
secretary · appointed 2011-06-15 · resigned 2013-10-21
Resigned
SCAIFE, Sally→
secretary · appointed 2001-07-06 · resigned 2011-06-15
Resigned
TOWNEND, John David→
secretary · appointed 1996-03-05 · resigned 1996-11-30
Resigned
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
corporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 1996-03-05 · resigned 1996-03-05
Resigned
AMIS, David Forster→
director · ~57y · appointed 2003-11-01 · resigned 2008-07-17
Resigned
BARROW, Michael Anthony→
director · ~69y · appointed 2007-09-01 · resigned 2019-08-31
Resigned
BOWERS, James Francis→
director · ~69y · appointed 1996-03-05 · resigned 2011-05-16
Resigned
BRADY, Geoffrey→
director · ~73y · appointed 2007-09-01 · resigned 2010-05-06
Resigned
BRADY, Geoffrey→
director · ~73y · appointed 1998-09-10 · resigned 2005-02-01
Resigned
COUSINS, Anthony Walter→
director · ~74y · appointed 2007-09-01 · resigned 2011-08-30
Resigned
DAVEY, Michael→
director · ~66y · appointed 2005-02-01 · resigned 2007-09-01
Resigned
DYSON, Kevin Frederick→
director · ~62y · appointed 2019-08-31 · resigned 2020-01-17
Resigned
FLETCHER-RAY, Tracey→
director · ~62y · appointed 2022-11-14 · resigned 2025-09-11
Resigned
GRIST, Frederick William→
director · ~72y · appointed 1998-09-10 · resigned 1999-02-08
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Mortgages & charges

11
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:11 of 11 shown
TypeProperties
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (Acting as Security Agent)
Legal charge1 property14/01/201304/09/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Legal charge1 property12/04/201104/09/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Legal charge1 property28/01/201104/09/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Legal charge1 property28/01/201104/09/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Debenture1 property28/01/201104/09/2017
satisfied
Lloyds Banking Group
The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC (In Its Capacity as the Security Agent)
Legal charge1 property28/01/201104/09/2017
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Debenture1 property16/12/200204/02/2011
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Legal charge1 property11/09/200016/11/2010
satisfied
Barclays
Barclays Bank PLC
Guarantee & debenture1 property03/03/200004/02/2011
satisfied
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank PLC
Mortgage debenture1 property25/08/199804/01/2001
satisfied
Forward Trust Group
Forward Trust Group Limited
Chattels mortgage1 property06/01/199830/12/2008

Recent filings (152 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-17
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-10-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-06-04
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-07-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-25
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-06-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-06
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-02-02
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2023-01-19
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-01-19
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2023-01-19
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2023-01-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2022-04-26
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-03-02