What Cleverbox does

Cleverbox is a UK-based boutique digital design and marketing agency that serves the education sector exclusively. The company is headquartered in Bromley and operates with a small team (11-50 employees), having been in operation for approximately two decades (sources vary between 1999 and 2006 founding). Its customer base spans more than 1,000 schools and over 100 Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) served across the UK.

The company's service portfolio spans creative production and proprietary digital tooling. Core offerings include website design, branding, prospectuses, photography, film, signage, and broader marketing services for schools and educational institutions. Cleverbox has also built two proprietary technology products: ReactCMS, a content management system tailored for educational websites, and KIM (Key Information Manager), a centralized policy control tool aimed at MAT governance teams.

Cleverbox operates a direct, sales-led engagement model focused on the UK education vertical. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements covering web builds, rebranding, and ongoing marketing materials, supplemented by deployment of ReactCMS and KIM into school and MAT networks. The defining characteristic of the business is its exclusive vertical specialization in education, which shapes both go-to-market and product design.

Name

Cleverbox

Legal name

Cleverbox UK Ltd

Website

https://cleverbox.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cleverbox is a UK-based boutique digital design and marketing agency serving schools and Multi-Academy Trusts with website design, branding, creative production, and proprietary CMS and policy management tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Marketing and Design Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Concepting & Campaign Development (BPAFAEAD)

Keywords

• School website design
• Education branding services
• Prospectus design
• School marketing agency
• Multi-academy trust websites

Headquarters

HQ city

Bromley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Website Design & Development: Cleverbox designs and develops bespoke websites for schools, colleges, and multi-academy trusts. This includes school website design, academy trust website design, website redevelopment, and content management system implementation.
2. Branding & Visual Identity Services: Cleverbox provides branding, logo design, and visual identity systems for schools and trusts, including brand refresh projects and brand guidelines.
3. Prospectus Design & Print: Cleverbox designs printed and digital prospectuses for education organisations, including book design, print, and production services.
4. Photography & Film Production: Professional photography and promotional film services for schools and trusts, including virtual tours and promotional videos.
5. Signage & Display Solutions: Cleverbox provides signage systems, wall graphics, photoboards, displays, and branded learning environment graphics for schools.
6. School Marketing Services: Marketing strategy, campaign planning, admissions marketing, and recruitment communications for education organisations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cleverbox designs and develops bespoke websites, branding, prospectuses, signage, photography and film for UK schools, colleges, sixth forms, independent schools, and multi-academy trusts. Services are scoped through consultative sales conversations and delivered as project-based engagements covering digital design, print design, visual identity, and supporting marketing communications. The agency's offering is anchored by its ReactCMS content management platform and KIM centralised policy management tool, which together support ongoing website administration and trust-wide statutory compliance across multiple school sites.

Product overview

Cleverbox is a specialist education marketing, website design, and branding agency operating as a service-based business rather than a software platform. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services including school website design and development (encompassing Academy Trust Website Development), branding and visual identity creation, prospectus design (both printed and interactive digital formats), photography, film production, signage and displays, school marketing, and recruitment marketing. The core offering centers on website design services complemented by branding work and marketing support. Supporting tools include ReactCMS for content management and KIM (Key Information Manager) for centralized trust policy control across multiple school websites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School Website Design & Development Bespoke design and development of responsive websites for UK schools, colleges, sixth forms, independent schools, SEND settings and multi-academy trusts, including content management system implementation, accessibility improvements and SEO support. Targeted at headteachers, school business managers and trust communications teams responsible for digital presence.
• School Branding & Visual Identity Creation and refresh of logos, brand guidelines and full visual identity systems for individual schools and multi-academy trusts, translating school values into colour schemes and visual assets. Targeted at schools and MATs undertaking a brand refresh or new identity project.
• School Prospectus Design (Print & Digital) Design of printed and digital prospectuses for schools, colleges and trusts to support admissions, open events and stakeholder communications, including book design, print management and interactive digital formats. Targeted at UK schools, sixth form colleges, independent schools and MATs running annual admissions cycles.
• School Signage & Display Systems Design and supply of signage systems, wayfinding, wall graphics, photoboards, banner systems, branded displays and learning environment graphics for UK schools. Targeted at schools and MATs looking to upgrade physical signage and internal displays.
• School Film, Photography & Virtual Tours Professional photography, promotional film production and virtual tour creation for schools and trusts, supporting admissions, recruitment, open events and stakeholder storytelling. Targeted at UK schools, sixth forms, independent schools and multi-academy trusts.
• School Marketing & Recruitment Communications Marketing strategy, campaign planning, admissions marketing and recruitment communications services for schools and trusts, including careers websites and stakeholder engagement support. Targeted at UK schools, MATs and trust recruitment teams.
• KIM (Key Information Manager) Centralised policy and statutory information control panel for multi-academy trusts, providing traffic-light systems, automated alerts and reporting across all school websites managed by Cleverbox. Targeted at multi-academy trust central teams responsible for compliance and statutory publication.
• ReactCMS Content management system powering Cleverbox-designed school websites, enabling school staff to update content, view analytics and administer the website without technical expertise. Targeted at UK schools using Cleverbox websites.

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• WPM Education: UK provider of school websites, apps and parent communication tools serving primary schools, secondary schools and MATs — directly comparable product and customer set.
• Tribe Marketing: UK marketing agency specializing in the education sector, including schools and MATs, providing branding, web and admissions marketing — directly comparable education vertical agency.
• Schudio: UK-based agency specializing in school website design, branding, and digital marketing for primary, secondary and MAT clients — the closest direct competitor to Cleverbox in the education vertical.
• PrimarySite: UK school website provider serving thousands of primary schools, MATs and academies with CMS-powered websites; competes directly with Cleverbox in the school website design segment.
• Chameleon Web Design: UK agency providing website design, hosting and digital marketing specifically for schools, academies and colleges; directly comparable offering and target market to Cleverbox.
• EdComs: UK-based education communications and marketing agency serving schools, universities and education organizations; competes for similar education-sector branding and marketing budgets.

Broad incumbents

• RM plc: Long-established UK education technology company providing IT, software and digital services to schools and MATs — a broader incumbent that overlaps with Cleverbox's website/digital services for schools.
• WPP: Global advertising and marketing services holding company whose agencies (e.g., Ogilvy, VMLY&R) compete for school, MAT and education-sector branding and campaign work that Cleverbox also targets.
• Capita Public Service: Large UK outsourcer providing education services including MIS, communications and digital tools to schools and MATs — broader incumbent whose education division competes for similar digital/communication budgets.

Emerging players

• Weduc: UK parent-communication and school communication platform used by primary schools and MATs — adjacent to Cleverbox's KIM/RMAT offerings and competes for school digital budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cleverbox

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cleverbox