United Learning
United Learning is a UK charitable group operating state-funded academies and fee-paying independent schools across England, complemented by the United Curriculum (licensed externally), United Teaching SCITT, and professional development programmes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersOundle, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What United Learning does
United Learning is a charitable group of schools operating across England, comprising both state-funded academies and fee-paying independent schools. Structured as three companies limited by guarantee (United Learning Ltd, UCST, and ULT) — all registered charities — the group employs 5,001–10,000 staff, serves tens of thousands of pupils from nursery through sixth form, and traces its independent school heritage to the Church Schools Company's founding of Surbiton High School in 1884. The contemporary group was established with its first academy (Manchester Academy) in 2003 and now spans academies and independent schools from Cumbria to Hull and Somerset to Kent, with registered headquarters in Peterborough and an additional London office.
The group's core operations centre on educational delivery, complemented by layered adjacent products: United Curriculum (an EYFS-to-KS3 framework developed by in-house subject experts, hosted on a digitally-accessible curriculum management platform at curriculum.unitedlearning.org.uk and unitedcurriculum.org.uk, now licensed externally to other schools), United Teaching (a National SCITT teacher-training programme rated 'Exceptional' by Ofsted that is currently training 400 teachers across 100+ schools in partnership with Bath Spa University), United Apprenticeships, and a portfolio of CPD programmes including the Early Career Framework, NPQs, and Middle/Senior Leadership Programmes. Curriculum Benchmarking Assessments aggregate pupil-level data from the United Learning estate, enabling external schools to benchmark student progress against nationwide cohorts; selected resources under the Continuity Oak banner are offered free of charge to any UK school. Leadership is headed by Chief Executive Sir Jon Coles, who founded United Teaching in 2013, alongside a Director of Secondary Academies, an SCITT co-lead structure, a Director of IT, and a dedicated Head of Growth running the academy-conversion funnel.
United Learning's business model combines three recurring revenue streams: per-pupil government funding for state-funded academies (channelled through the central MAT trust), tuition fees for independent schools, and subscription revenue from United Curriculum licensing to external schools (priced per pupil, per subject, annually). Pricing for the United Curriculum is set 'at minimum to cover maintenance and implementation support costs', while independent school fees are not publicly disclosed and route through [email protected]. A fourth line — teacher training via United Teaching — operates in partnership with Bath Spa University on PGCE and postgraduate apprenticeship pathways. Go-to-market mixes enterprise field sales (dedicated Head of Growth targeting 3–5 school regional clusters), event-driven demand generation (annual Best in Everyone Awards, Festival of Music and Creativity, COP30 Climate Negotiation Simulation, regional StorySLAM competitions) and a sales-led teacher-recruitment funnel via unitedteaching.org.uk.
United Learning firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- United Learning
- Legal name
- United Learning
- Website
- https://unitedlearning.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- United Learning is a UK charitable group operating state-funded academies and fee-paying independent schools across England, complemented by the United Curriculum (licensed externally), United Teaching SCITT, and professional development programmes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where United Learning is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oundle
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
United Learning business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Academy Funding (Government): State-funded academies receive government funding per pupil. United Learning manages these academies as part of the MAT structure, with central support services funded through a percentage of school funding.
- Independent School Fees: Independent schools within the group charge tuition fees to families. These include nurseries, prep/junior schools, and senior schools serving children aged 0-18.
- United Curriculum Licensing: Schools are charged for access to the United Curriculum and assessments. Fees are calculated per pupil on a per subject basis to maximize flexibility. Fees are kept to minimum to cover maintenance and implementation support costs.
- Teacher Training (United Teaching): Initial teacher training programme offering PGCE and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship pathways, delivered in partnership with Bath Spa University.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | United Curriculum per subject per pupil |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Continuity Oak (Free Resources) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
United Learning product offering
Product offeringCore offering
United Learning is a UK-based charitable group of schools that delivers primary, secondary, and post-16 education through state-funded academies and fee-paying independent schools. Its core revenue comes from government per-pupil funding for academies and tuition fees from independent school families, supplemented by licensing the United Curriculum to external schools and delivering United Teaching initial teacher training. The group operates three entities (United Learning Ltd, UCST, and ULT), all registered charities limited by guarantee, with central support teams providing finance, HR, estates, IT, data protection, and curriculum services.
Product overview
United Learning is a national group of schools comprising both academies (primary and secondary, since 2003) and independent schools (founded by the Church Schools Company, dating back to 1884). The core offering is educational delivery across nurseries, primary, and secondary levels. Key products include: (1) The United Curriculum - a comprehensive EYFS to KS3 framework now available externally to other schools; (2) United Teaching - an 'Exceptional'-rated teacher training SCITT programme in partnership with Bath Spa University; (3) Professional Development Programmes including NPQs; (4) United Apprenticeships; and (5) Education with Character initiatives. The group also provides free Continuity Oak resources and an internal United Learning Hub platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- United Teaching: Initial teacher training programme rated 'Exceptional' by Ofsted, offering PGCE and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship pathways in partnership with Bath Spa University.
- United Curriculum
- United Apprenticeships
- Continuity Oak
Products and services
- Academies (Primary and Secondary)
- Independent Schools
- The United Curriculum
- United Teaching (National SCITT)
- Professional Development Programmes
- United Apprenticeships
Quantifiable outcome
- 7 out of top 50 schools for Progress 8 use the United Curriculum
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use United Learning
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
United Learning technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
United Learning partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Royal Ballet & OperaflagshipNew collaboration with Royal Ballet & Opera on a project based on Mozart's opera The Magic Flute, including regional performances at Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall, and Corn Exchange.
- Continuity OakcoreFree curriculum resources provided through Continuity Oak partnership, available to any school in the country at no cost. United Learning maintains commitment to providing these resources free of charge.
- Bath Spa UniversitycorePartnership with Bath Spa University for delivery of Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and postgraduate teaching apprenticeship pathways through United Teaching National SCITT programme.
- British CouncilflagshipAnnual COP30 Climate Negotiation Simulation held in partnership with British Council at Royal Geographical Society, engaging 80 sixth form pupils from 12 United Learning schools.
- TateminorNationwide lending programme bringing Tate's LS Lowry streetscape to The Lowry Academy as centrepiece of arts and careers workshops. First time Tate has lent a work from its collection to a school.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
United Learning competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Oak National Academy: Government-backed, free online curriculum resource for English schools. Comparable to the United Curriculum in product (curriculum content for EYFS–KS3) and target buyer (UK schools), but distributed free rather than on a per-pupil licence.
Direct peers
- Oasis Community Learning: Large UK MAT operating primary and secondary academies nationally. Closely comparable to United Learning as a multi-academy trust running state-funded schools with central support services and hub-school models.
- Star Academies: Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools across the UK with a focus on raising standards in disadvantaged areas. Comparable scale and operating model to United Learning's academy division.
- Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large UK MAT running dozens of secondary and primary academies across northern England and the Midlands. Comparable geographic spread, conversion strategy, and central school-improvement function to United Learning.
- Harris Federation: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts, operating a large portfolio of primary and secondary academies across London and southern England. Directly comparable to United Learning in operating model (MAT running state-funded academies) and scale.
- ARK Schools: Charity-run network of non-selective academies across the UK plus an in-house teacher training programme (ARK Teacher Training). Directly comparable to United Learning's combined academy + United Teaching model.
- Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest UK MATs, operating primary and secondary academies nationwide. Comparable to United Learning in operating a national portfolio of state-funded schools with shared services.
- E-ACT: National UK MAT operating academies across multiple regions. Comparable structure to United Learning as a multi-region academy sponsor running central support functions.
Broad incumbents
- Cognita Schools: International for-profit schools group operating independent schools globally, including in the UK. Comparable to United Learning's independent schools division in product (fee-paying schools) and target market (premium K–12), with a broader international footprint.
- Nord Anglia Education: Global premium schools group operating independent day and boarding schools in multiple countries. Comparable to United Learning's independent school offering in customer segment (premium K–12) and academic positioning, though internationally diversified.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
United Learning social profiles
Digital presenceUnited Learning financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
United Learning leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
United Learning subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
United Learning funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
United Learning M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about United Learning
What does United Learning do?
United Learning is a UK-based charitable group of schools that delivers primary, secondary, and post-16 education through state-funded academies and fee-paying independent schools. Its core revenue comes from government per-pupil funding for academies and tuition fees from independent school families, supplemented by licensing the United Curriculum to external schools and delivering United Teaching initial teacher training. The group operates three entities (United Learning Ltd, UCST, and ULT), all registered charities limited by guarantee, with central support teams providing finance, HR, estates, IT, data protection, and curriculum services.
Is United Learning a public or private company?
United Learning is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was United Learning founded?
United Learning was founded in 2003. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is United Learning based?
United Learning is headquartered in Oundle, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does United Learning make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Academy Funding (Government) is the primary driver. The others are independent School Fees, united Curriculum Licensing and teacher Training (United Teaching).
Who are United Learning's main competitors?
Oak National Academy is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Oasis Community Learning, Star Academies, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, Harris Federation, ARK Schools, Academies Enterprise Trust (AET) and E-ACT. Broad incumbents are Cognita Schools and Nord Anglia Education.
Does United Learning have an API?
No public API is recorded for United Learning.