What Star Academies does

Star Academies is a UK-based charitable Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) founded in 2012 in Blackburn, England, operating 36 primary and secondary schools across five regional clusters — Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and London — serving approximately 25,000 children, the majority drawn from areas of social and economic deprivation. The trust is structured as a company limited by guarantee (previously known as Tauheedul Education Trust) and is state-funded under a Master Funding Agreement with the Department for Education; education is provided free at the point of use. Star Academies runs two school brand families — Muslim faith-based Olive primaries and Eden secondary schools, and a separate set of secular Leadership Academies — alongside selective programmes including the Christian-faith Star King Solomon Academy and selective grammar conversion (Bacup and Rawtenstall).

The trust's core operating platform is the Star network itself, anchored by proprietary pedagogical frameworks: the Core Knowledge Sequence (CKS) UK curriculum for primary English, Mathematics, Science, History, and Geography; the Star R-18 Leadership Framework spanning Reception through Key Stage 5; Star Quality Standards for school-level consistency; and Star Quality Assurer as the assurance overlay. The trust generates revenue from per-pupil DfE funding, designated Teaching School Hub contracts (supporting over 1,000 schools via the Star Teaching School Hub Network), and school improvement partnership contracts; procurement efficiencies (e.g., a catering contract with Litmus Partnership covering 30 schools as of 2025) reduce operating cost but are not a revenue stream. Customer-facing channels include a comprehensive website with school finder and performance data, PR and news publications, school open events, and the Star School Twinning Programme for cross-community partnerships.

Star Academies' strategic identity combines scale with selective prestige positioning: it co-founded the National Institute of Teaching alongside Harris Federation, Oasis Community Learning, and Outwood Grange Academies Trust, and operates the Eton Star Partnership think-and-do tank with Eton College to plan two additional sixth form colleges (Eton Star Dudley and Eton Star Oldham). The trust is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by Kamruddin Kothia OBE DL with Members including Lord Shuttleworth, Rt Hon. Jack Straw, Martin Ainscough CBE, and Mo Isap OBE; the founder-CEO, Sir Mufti Hamid Patel CBE, also chairs the Confederation of School Trusts. Delivery is underpinned by 18 Ofsted Outstanding ratings and two pioneering 'Exceptional' ratings under the new Ofsted framework (2026).

Name

Star Academies

Legal name

Star Academies

Website

https://staracademies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Star Academies is a UK charitable Multi-Academy Trust operating 36 primary and secondary schools across five English regions, serving approximately 25,000 children, primarily from areas of social and economic deprivation, under state-funded arrangements with the Department for Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD), Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC), After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• Primary and secondary education
• Multi-academy trust
• School improvement services
• Teacher training programs
• Leadership development education

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: Star Academies operates as a state-funded multi-academy trust receiving government funding through the Department for Education for each academy. Funding covers educational operations, staffing, and capital expenditure. Additional revenue comes from government contracts for school improvement partnerships and Teaching School Hub Network services supporting over 1,000 schools.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Star Academies operates a network of 36 primary and secondary schools across five regional clusters in England (Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands, and London), providing free, state-funded K-12 education to around 25,000 children, predominantly in areas of social and economic deprivation. The trust delivers education through its own branded schools (Star, Eden, The Olive School, Tauheedul Islam), supplemented by the Star Teaching School Hub Network which supports over 1,000 schools with teacher training, leadership development, and school improvement services.

Product overview

Star Academies is a mixed Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating as a unified platform of 36 primary and secondary schools across five Star Partnerships in Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and East London. The core offering is the school network itself, supported by integrated programs including Star Teaching School Hub Network (supporting over 1,000 schools), Star Talent Academy (professional development), Star Readers (literacy initiative), Star Communities (outreach), Star School Twinning Programme, and the Star R-18 Leadership Framework. Strategic partnerships include the Eton Star Partnership (education think-and-do tank) and the National Institute of Teaching (founding trust member). All schools share a Leadership specialism and operate under the STAR values of Service, Teamwork, Ambition, and Respect.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eton Star Partnership: Education think and do tank partnership with Eton College focused on promoting educational excellence, dismantling barriers to achievement, spurring social mobility and fostering civic agency
• National Institute of Teaching
• Star Teaching School Hub Network
• Star Talent Academy
• Star Communities
• Star School Twinning Programme

Products and services

• Star Academies Network A network of 36 primary and secondary state-funded schools operating as a Multi-Academy Trust across five cluster areas (Lancashire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, the Midlands, and London), delivering free K-12 education to approximately 25,000 children, primarily in areas of social and economic deprivation.
• Star Teaching School Hub Network

Quantifiable outcome

• 18 schools currently rated Outstanding by Ofsted
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Litmus PartnershipcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Litmus, a procurement consultancy, partnered with Star Academies to manage catering procurement tenders covering 25 schools in 2020 and 30 schools in 2025. Over the initial five-year contract period, Litmus helped secure savings exceeding £600,000 on the catering contract, with additional savings of over £100,000 achieved in the 2025 tender process. The partnership continues with ongoing support including reporting systems, termly KPIs, and annual budget negotiations.
• Eton CollegeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStar formed a partnership with Eton College to establish an education 'think and do tank'. The Eton Star Partnership aims to elevate life chances of young people from disadvantaged communities by promoting educational excellence, dismantling barriers to achievement, spurring social mobility and fostering civic agency. The partnership is developing innovative programs and plans to open sixth form colleges in Dudley and Oldham (Eton Star Dudley and Eton Star Oldham).
• National Institute of TeachingflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStar Academies is a founding trust of the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), which exists to enhance the quality of teaching and school leadership by carrying out research, applying insights to professional development programmes, and sharing findings with the sector. NIoT is run by the School-Led Development Trust founded by four leading MATs: Star Academies, Harris Federation, Oasis Community Learning and Outwood Grange Academies Trust.
• Star Teaching School Hub NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStar Teaching School Hub Network is a group of school-led centres of excellence for teacher and leadership training and development. It provides support to over 1,000 schools across England, offering professional development, teacher training, and school improvement services.
• IN4 GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIN4 Group is a leading professional technology training and skills provider. Mo Isap OBE, founding director of Star Academies, is CEO of IN4 Group. IN4 Group operates across UK and Middle East, delivering technology training, skills programs, apprenticeships, and holds approved training provider status with Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Google.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Learning: Large national MAT operating both state-funded academies and independent schools. Comparable in operating scale and the breadth of K–12 provision across England.
• Ark (Absolute Return for Kids): UK education charity running a network of academies with a focus on educational disadvantage in London and other regions. Comparable as a values-led, non-profit school operator with similar social-mobility mission.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): Large, multi-region MAT operating primary and secondary academies. Direct comparable in scale, geographic diversity, and government-funded operating model.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: One of the largest primary-focused MATs in England. Comparable in operating model, primary-heavy footprint, and focus on under-served communities.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts; co-founder of the National Institute of Teaching with Star. Operates a comparable network of primary and secondary academies in London and the South East with similar focus on disadvantaged communities.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large UK MAT and co-founder of the National Institute of Teaching alongside Star. Operates academies nationally with a values-driven ethos and a comparable multi-region expansion model.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Major northern English MAT and the fourth co-founder of the National Institute of Teaching. Direct comparable in scale, geographic footprint, and turnaround-focused school improvement strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Nord Anglia Education: International premium schools group. Comparable as a multi-region school operator with established curriculum frameworks, but serves a higher-fee international student base rather than disadvantaged UK communities.
• GEMS Education: Global private K–12 operator with a presence across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. Comparable as a large-scale multi-brand school operator, but operates a premium-fee model rather than state-funded academies.

Others

• Eton College: Flagship strategic partner of Star Academies via the Eton Star Partnership. Not a competitor, but materially relevant as Star's most high-profile collaboration, jointly developing sixth form colleges and an education 'think and do tank'.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/staracademies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-academies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Star Academies