E-act

What E-act does

E-ACT is a multi-academy trust (MAT) operating 37 state-funded academies across England, serving approximately 25,000 pupils from primary through secondary education. Founded in 2009 under the Academies Act 2010, the trust was established to take over and turn around some of the country's most challenged schools, many with high pupil premium concentrations. It operates as a charitable company limited by guarantee and an exempt charity under the Charities Act 2011, with the Secretary of State for Education as its ultimate oversight authority. Headquartered in Kettering, Northamptonshire, E-ACT runs primary, secondary, all-through, alternative provision, and specialist academies across the South West, West Midlands, North West, South East, and London regions.

The trust's core service is the management and delivery of free state education, with no commercial products, SaaS offerings, or proprietary technology platforms disclosed beyond standard digital channels for academy management, website, and online learning resources. Its operating model emphasises community engagement through Community Hubs supporting families in deprived areas, professional development via E-ACT Ideas Conferences in partnership with TES, and a coordinated approach to attendance, mental health, and SEND inclusion. Strategic partnerships with the James Dyson Foundation (STEM) and Dulwich College (languages) extend curricular offerings. The trust has trained over 1,800 staff in Mental Health First Aid and reports that 87-93% of its academies are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

Revenue is derived almost entirely from government education funding streams, including per-pupil grants and pupil premium allocations administered by the Department for Education under the Academies Act 2010 framework. E-ACT is required to follow public procurement law and the Academy Trust Handbook, and uses established public sector procurement frameworks (CPC, ESPO, YPO, CCS, Pagabo, NHS SBS) for purchasing. The trust has no external investors, no funding rounds, and no disclosed M&A activity; growth is achieved through converting additional schools to the trust and through operational improvement. Recent recognition includes MAT of the Year at the MAT Excellence Awards in both 2023 and 2026, and E-ACT Heartlands Academy's second Secondary School of the Year win at the Tes Schools Awards in 2026.

Name

E-act

Legal name

E-ACT Multi-Academy Trust

Website

https://e-act.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

E-ACT is a UK multi-academy trust operating 37 state-funded academies across England, serving approximately 25,000 primary and secondary pupils. Founded in 2009, it is a charitable company limited by guarantee, funded by government per-pupil grants, focused on turning around challenged schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: E-ACT is a publicly funded organization receiving government funding through the Academies Act 2010. Funding comes from the Department for Education for operating academies. The trust is an exempt charity under the Charity Act 2011 and is overseen by the Secretary of State for Education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

E-ACT operates a network of 37 academies across England delivering free, publicly funded primary, secondary, all-through and alternative-provision education to approximately 25,000 pupils. Beyond classroom teaching, the trust runs community hubs supporting disadvantaged families, professional development programmes (E-ACT IDEAS Conferences), Mental Health First Aid training for staff, and teacher training and apprenticeship pathways under its 'Opening Minds, Opening Doors' strategy.

Product overview

E-ACT is a multi-academy trust (MAT) operating 37 academies across England, providing primary, secondary, and all-through educational services. The organization does not offer commercial technology products or SaaS offerings. Its core service is the management and operation of educational institutions under the 'Opening Minds, Opening Doors' strategy. Services include academy operations, professional development (IDEAS Conferences), attendance support programs, mental health initiatives, and apprenticeship opportunities. Individual academies maintain their own websites and operational systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• E-ACT Academy Network (37 academies) Free state-funded primary, secondary, all-through and alternative-provision schooling delivered through 37 academies across South West, West Midlands, North West, South East England and London, serving approximately 25,000 pupils.
• E-ACT Community Hubs
• E-ACT IDEAS Conferences
• Mental Health First Aid Staff Training
• Train to Teach / Apprenticeship Pathways
• E-ACT Parker Plus Alternative Provision
• E-ACT Pathways Academy (Alternative Provision)
• E-ACT Venturers' Academy (All-age Specialist)

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• James Dyson FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-ACT partners with the James Dyson Foundation to provide outstanding STEM opportunities for students across the trust's academies.
• Dulwich CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-ACT partners with Dulwich College to provide language learning opportunities and educational experiences for students.
• TES (Times Educational Supplement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerE-ACT partners with TES for thought leadership on mental health and SEND through E-ACT Ideas Conferences, and for broader educational content sharing.
• National Joint Council (NJC)supportingOthersE-ACT works with the National Joint Council to help reduce risk by improving employee working and pay practices across the trust.
• CPC (Construction Procurement Library)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector buying organisation used by E-ACT for procurement of goods and services.
• ESPO (Education Supplier Network)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector buying organisation used by E-ACT for procurement of goods and services.
• YPO (York Purchasing Organisation)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector buying organisation used by E-ACT for procurement of goods and services.
• CCS (Crown Commercial Service)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGovernment procurement agency used by E-ACT for framework agreements.
• PagabosupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector framework provider used by E-ACT for professional services procurement.
• Everything ICTsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorICT procurement specialist used by E-ACT for technology purchases.
• NHS SBS (Shared Business Services)supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPublic sector procurement organisation used by E-ACT for certain goods and services.
• Optimus EducationsupportingOthersEvent organiser for the MAT Excellence Awards where E-ACT has won multiple awards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Oasis Community Learning: Large national multi-academy trust explicitly focused on disadvantaged communities and community-hub models, operating a similar DfE-funded academy estate across England with comparable mission and pupil-premium focus.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: National multi-academy trust running primary, secondary, and alternative provision academies across England with the same DfE funding model and a comparable footprint focused on underserved areas.
• Reach2 Academy Trust: National primary-focused multi-academy trust with similar DfE funding, comparable community engagement programmes, and equivalent Ofsted-regulated governance to E-ACT.
• Ark Academies (Ark): National education charity running a network of non-selective academies across England, sharing the same DfE funding model, equivalent Ofsted scrutiny, and similar scale as E-ACT.
• Delta Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a large network of academies across northern and central England with comparable DfE funding, similar scale per pupil, and an analogous turnaround-school heritage.
• Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies in London and southern England with a comparable scale and the same DfE funding model, competing for the same academy conversions and government visibility.
• Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary academies across England with similar DfE funding, multiple award wins, and a comparable system-leadership ambition to E-ACT.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest multi-academy trusts in England operating a similar mix of primary and secondary academies funded by the Department for Education, with comparable focus on disadvantaged communities and scale-driven operating model.

Others

• TES (Times Educational Supplement): Sector publisher and event partner (alongside Optimus Education) that runs the Tes Schools Awards and the E-ACT Ideas Conferences partnership; an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor, but a key channel for sector visibility.

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: Larger, longer-established multi-academy trust combining state and independent schools nationally, with a broader portfolio than E-ACT but operating within the same DfE academy framework and competing for the same conversions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/showcase/11704280
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/e-act
• Instagraminstagram.com/eactacademies
• Xx.com/educationeact

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries37 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 E-act