Schools Plus

What Schools Plus does

Schools Plus Ltd is a UK-based social enterprise founded in 2004 (incorporated 28 June 2004, company number 05164169) that manages facility lettings for UK schools, enabling them to monetize sports halls, football pitches, meeting rooms, drama studios, and halls outside school hours. The company contracts with schools and multi-academy trusts on a revenue-share basis, paying schools 40-70% of generated revenue monthly within 14 days of month end and retaining a 30-60% commission. It operates a 1:10 dedicated Area Manager model, providing on-the-ground management, DBS-checked front-line staff, safeguarding oversight, and 365-day coverage. The technology stack is centred on the Enni.space partner booking platform for consumer-side instant venue search and booking, with proprietary operational tooling including an AI-monitored cleaning verification system and a task management system tracking 13,000 weekly tasks at an 89% on-time completion rate.

The go-to-market combines outbound enterprise sales led by Steve Thornton (Head of Partnerships) into UK school leadership with a self-serve consumer booking channel and content marketing through an active blog and trade show presence. Customer segments are two-sided: UK schools as contracted supply partners and community hirers (sports clubs, fitness instructors, performing arts academies, national governing bodies, charities, football club community trusts) as transactional demand. Named partners span major multi-academy trusts including Harris Federation, Ark, Co-op Academies Trust, Thomas Deacon Education Trust, University Schools Trust, Ambition Education Trust, and The Mead Academy Trust. The company has cumulatively generated £40M+ for UK schools since inception, employs 251-500 people, and operates with no disclosed external investors under a social-enterprise ownership structure.

Name

Schools Plus

Legal name

Schools Plus Ltd

Website

https://schoolsplus.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

School Facility Lettings Management

NAICS

Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Event Setup, Moves/Adds/Changes (MAC) & Space Turnover Services (EDAEAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Repairs, Handyman & Preventive Maintenance (PM) Programs (EDAEAAAE), Student Housing Facilities & Maintenance Management (BPAJAJAG)

Keywords

• School facility lettings
• Venue management services
• Community sports booking
• Education venue hire
• School revenue generation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bournemouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lettings Revenue Share: Schools Plus generates revenue by managing school facility lettings. They take a 30-60% commission share while schools receive 40-70% of generated revenue. Payments to schools are made monthly, 14 days after month end.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schools Plus partners with UK schools to manage community lettings of their unused facilities (sports halls, football pitches, meeting rooms, drama studios, halls) outside school hours. The company handles booking, compliance, cleaning verification, safeguarding, and revenue distribution, taking a 30-60% commission while paying partner schools 40-70% of generated revenue on a monthly basis. Community hirers can find and book venues online via the Enni.space partner platform, while schools receive a dedicated Area Manager and AI-monitored cleaning standards.

Product overview

Schools Plus operates as a unified lettings management platform for UK schools, combining a consumer-facing venue booking portal with back-end school management tools. The core product (Schools Plus Platform) handles venue discovery and instant online booking for sports halls, football pitches, meeting rooms, and drama studios, with bookings processed through the Enni.space partner platform. Additional modules include a dedicated Area Manager service, AI-monitored cleaning verification, task completion tracking, transparent revenue share reporting, and safeguarding management — all integrated into a single operational system. The platform is available 7 days a week, 365 days a year, serving both community hirers and partner schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Enni Space: A sister booking platform powered by Schools Plus for community venue bookings.

Products and services

• Schools Plus School Facility Lettings Service

Quantifiable outcome

• £40 million+ generated for UK schools since 2004
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Indigo SwanminorOthers · 18 September 2019Energy contract specialists offering genuine energy discounts to partner schools. Schools Plus partnership provides access to preferential energy rates for partner schools.
• ukactiveminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 July 2019Schools Plus joined ukactive in 2019 to support the mission of getting more people active more often. Partnership involves attending ukactive National Summit and industry events.
• Enni.spacecoreTechnology or IntegrationEnni.space is Schools Plus's partner booking platform. The 'Find a Venue' search functionality redirects to enni.space for the actual booking process. API integration allows location-based venue search, payment processing, and booking confirmation.
• The Mead Academy TrustcoreOthersMulti-school trust with facilities managed by Schools Plus for community lettings.
• Harris FederationcoreOthersMajor academy trust with multiple schools across London partnered with Schools Plus for lettings management.
• ArkcoreOthersLarge multi-academy trust with schools including Ark Globe Academy, Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, Ark Boulton, Ark Greenwich, Ark John Keats Academy, and others partnered with Schools Plus.
• Co-op Academies TrustcoreOthersMulti-academy trust with facilities managed by Schools Plus for community hire.
• Thomas Deacon Education TrustcoreOthersEducation trust partnered with Schools Plus for lettings management at member schools.
• University Schools TrustcoreOthersUniversity-affiliated schools trust with facilities available for community bookings through Schools Plus.
• Ambition Education TrustcoreOthersEducation trust with schools partnered for community facility lettings.
• Chelsea FCminorOthersFootball club community programs using Schools Plus facilities for training and community engagement.
• Cambridge UnitedminorOthersFootball club community trust utilizing school facilities for youth development and community programs.
• Salford City FCminorOthersFootball club community initiatives using school facilities managed by Schools Plus.
• Stoke CityminorOthersFootball club community trust partnerships for facility bookings.
• Derby County Community TrustminorOthersFootball club community programs using school facilities for youth and community engagement.
• Dulwich Hamlet FCminorOthersFootball club community initiatives using school facilities.
• England NetballminorOthersNational governing body activities hosted at Schools Plus partner venues.
• Basketball EnglandminorOthersNational governing body utilizing school sports halls for basketball activities.
• BarnardosminorOthersChildren's charity running programs at school facilities managed by Schools Plus.
• StagecoachminorOthersPerforming arts classes for children hosted at Schools Plus partner school venues.
• Italia ContiminorOthersPerforming arts organization running classes at school facilities.
• Pauline Quirke AcademyminorOthersPerforming arts academy running classes at Schools Plus venues.
• RugbytotsminorOthersChildren's rugby development program using school pitches.
• Little KickersminorOthersChildren's football coaching franchise using school facilities.
• Go MammothminorOthersAdult fitness club running sessions at Schools Plus venues.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Compass Group Education: Compass Group is a major contract services provider with an education segment, relevant as a potential entrant into broader school facility management that could displace niche players like Schools Plus.
• Sodexo Education: Sodexo is a major global facilities management and contract services provider with a dedicated education vertical, representing a larger incumbent that could encroach on Schools Plus's school facility management remit.
• Serco Leisure: Serco is a large outsourced services operator with a leisure facilities management arm, positioning it as a potential competitor for full-service school facility management contracts at scale.

Emerging players

• Bookwhen: Bookwhen is a UK online booking platform used by sports clubs and community groups to schedule facilities, offering a comparable self-serve booking experience to Schools Plus's Enni.space-powered portal.
• VenueScanner: VenueScanner is a UK venue hire marketplace comparable to Enni.space in facilitating self-serve bookings, with partial overlap as an alternative channel for community hirers seeking sports and event spaces.
• Glofox: Glofox provides booking and management software for fitness studios and sports venues, comparable to Schools Plus's booking and operations technology stack from a software perspective.

Direct peers

• Hire Space: Hire Space is a UK venue booking marketplace connecting event organisers with unique spaces, overlapping with Schools Plus's community venue-hire proposition though with a broader event focus.
• Letsport: Letsport is a UK school facility lettings management service similar to Schools Plus, helping schools and academies generate revenue from unused sports facilities and halls.
• Premier Sport: Premier Sport is a UK provider of school sport and activity services including lettings and after-school clubs, directly competing with Schools Plus in monetising school facilities through community programming.
• SchoolHire (PlaySportUK): PlaySportUK operates school facility lettings and community sports programmes in the UK, directly competing with Schools Plus in helping schools generate revenue from unused sports facilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/steve-thornton-b8298aa8
• Xx.com/schoolsplus
• Facebookfacebook.com/schoolsplusltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Schools Plus