David Ross Education Trust

What David Ross Education Trust does

David Ross Education Trust (DRET) is a charitable multi-academy trust founded in 2007 by entrepreneur and philanthropist David Ross (co-founder of The Carphone Warehouse Group plc) and headquartered in Loughborough, England. It operates 36 academies - 24 primary, 10 secondary, 1 all-through (Bobby Moore Academy in Stratford, London) and 1 special school (Eresby Special School) - serving approximately 14,600 students across Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and London, with a workforce of 2,200+ teachers and staff.

The Trust's core product is state-funded education delivered through a standardised curriculum framework (the DRET Way for both primary and secondary phases, influenced by Christine Counsell, Doug Lemov and Dylan Wiliam) and supplemented by proprietary programmes including DRET Reads (whole-class reading), DRET Enrichment (sport, music, arts, culture and personal development), the DRET Teaching School Hub (CPD and initial teacher training), and the Parent.DRET.Cloud parent portal. Technology is positioned as a teaching tool rather than a product, with a Trust-wide IT strategy centred on Showcase Classrooms. Strategic partnerships with the University of Cambridge, Russell Group universities, Uppingham School, the National Youth Orchestra, Google UK, Nevill Holt Opera and Outward Bound Canada support the enrichment proposition.

The Trust is funded primarily through UK Government per-pupil academy funding agreements (subscription/recurring in nature), supplemented by facility hire revenue from its 3G pitches, sports halls, swimming pools, theatres and studios. It is recognised as one of 11 system leaders nationwide by the Department for Education, and reports that 91% of primary schools inspected since joining the Trust now achieve Good or Outstanding Ofsted ratings, compared to 38% before joining. Operating as a non-profit, DRET does not publish revenue, but the 14,600-pupil base implies a revenue band in the low- to mid-hundreds of millions of pounds.

Name

David Ross Education Trust

Legal name

The David Ross Education Trust

Website

https://dret.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

David Ross Education Trust is a network of 34 academies that inspires students with world-class education, exciting learning & opportunity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Services (Multi-Academy Trust)

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary education services
• Secondary education services
• Teacher training programmes
• Enrichment programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Loughborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Academy Funding: State-funded education through academy funding agreements with the UK Government. Schools receive per-pupil funding based on pupil numbers and characteristics.
2. Facility Hire Revenue: Revenue generated from hiring Trust facilities including 3G pitches, sports halls, outdoor courts, swimming pools, lecture theatres, staged halls, and drama studios to clubs, organisations and individuals

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

David Ross Education Trust operates 36 state-funded academies in England — 24 primary, 10 secondary, 1 all-through (Bobby Moore Academy) and 1 special school (Eresby Special School) — providing education to approximately 14,600 students. The Trust delivers a standardised knowledge-rich curriculum through its DRET Way framework, an enrichment programme covering sport, music, arts and personal development, the DRET Reads literacy initiative, and a Teaching School Hub for teacher training. Facilities at its academies are also made available to community groups through a hire service.

Product overview

David Ross Education Trust operates as a multi-academy trust (MAT) providing educational services through a network of 36 academies across England. The core portfolio consists of 24 primary academies, 10 secondary academies, 1 all-through school (Bobby Moore Academy), and 1 special school (Eresby Special School), serving approximately 14,600 students. The Trust's educational offering is supplemented by enrichment programmes in sport, music, and culture, the DRET Reads reading programme, IT/technology-enhanced learning through Showcase Classrooms, and teacher development via the Teaching School Hub. A parent portal (Parent.DRET.Cloud) provides digital access for families. The Trust was founded in 2007 and is one of 11 system leaders nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of primary schools inspected since joining the Trust are now Good or Outstanding, compared to 38% before joining
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

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

• University of NottinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Long-standing partnership. David Ross's philanthropy includes support for the University of Nottingham through the Ross Foundation. The Trust works with the university on higher education opportunities and experiences for students.
• National Governing BodiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with sports national governing bodies to enhance sports delivery and talent development across the network.
• Arts and Music SpecialistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with world-renowned arts and music specialists including workshops with artists like Marc Quinn, Jonathan Yeo and David Dawson.
• Russell Group UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Russell Group universities to provide higher education opportunities and experiences for students, helping prepare them for their academic future.
• Outward Bound CanadaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnce-in-a-lifetime opportunities to travel the world with Outward Bound Canada and take part in challenges and volunteer projects across the globe.
• Google UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnique opportunity for students to visit Google UK Head Office with behind-the-scenes tour and insight into future careers in technology.
• Nevill Holt OperacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional performances and music festivals delivered by Nevill Holt Opera, part of David Ross's broader cultural philanthropy.
• National Youth OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents have opportunities to participate in professional performances alongside the National Youth Orchestra.
• Shakespeare Schools FestivalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDrama students participate in the Shakespeare Schools Festival professional performance programme.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigher education opportunities and experiences delivered by Cambridge to help prepare students for their academic future.
• Uppingham SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent school partnership providing educational experiences and opportunities for students across the Trust network.
• Economist's Burnet News ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership allows students to learn from international experts and debate complex current affairs issues.
• Independent SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with independent schools across the country to deliver world-class education opportunities.
• Sir Steve Redgrave, Colin Jackson CBE, Crista Cullen MBEflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam GB sporting heroes attend Trust-wide sports tournaments, inspiring students to achieve their aspirations through sport.
• Professional Sports ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with professional clubs to enhance coaching quality and provide club-level development pathways for talented students.
• Andy MurrayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTennis coaching session provided to four lucky students during the week he was named World Number One.
• Pink Floyd's Nick MasonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIP drumming masterclass with Pink Floyd's Nick Mason, providing music scholars opportunity to learn from one of rock's greatest drummers.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating multiple primary and secondary academies across the East Midlands. DRET's CFO Jane Spencer previously served as Trustee and Finance Committee Member at Greenwood, indicating direct operating-model comparability and shared regional footprint.
• Redhill Academy Trust: Nottinghamshire-based multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools. DRET's Director of Operations Jonathan French previously served as Director of Operations at Redhill, evidencing directly comparable MAT operating model and East Midlands overlap.
• Inspiration Trust: East of England multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies. DRET trustee Louise Jackson is Inspiration Trust's Secondary Director, evidencing operational overlap and shared governance/leadership pipelines in the MAT sector.
• Dixons Academies Trust: Northern England multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies with a strong knowledge-based curriculum focus. Comparable to DRET's DRET Way secondary curriculum approach and its regional hub operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Academy Enterprise Trust (AET): One of England's largest multi-academy trusts, operating a national network of primary, secondary and special academies. AET is a comparable large-scale, geographically distributed MAT, though broader in scope than DRET.
• Reach2 Academy Trust: National primary-focused multi-academy trust operating hundreds of primary academies across England. Reach2 is directly comparable on the primary-school-operating side of DRET's portfolio (24 primaries).
• United Learning: Large national multi-academy trust operating both state-funded academies and independent schools. Comparable in scale and breadth of offering (primary through secondary, enrichment, partnerships), with a similar breadth to DRET's network plus fee-paying schools.
• Harris Federation: Major London-headquartered multi-academy trust running primary, secondary and all-through academies. Comparable in operating a London presence (Bobby Moore Academy) and in the scale of its secondary estate.
• Oasis Community Learning: National multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies with a strong community-and-inclusion focus. Comparable to DRET on community engagement ethos and the inclusion/SEND orientation of its academies.
• Ark Schools: National multi-academy trust running primary, secondary and all-through academies with an explicit focus on enrichment and pupil opportunity. Highly comparable to DRET on its enrichment-led value proposition and London presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLY6yXBV1V5rWdbowf6chH8RUCZvoS4Ewn
• Xx.com/dretnews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 David Ross Education Trust