First Federation

What First Federation does

First Federation Trust is a charitable Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operates 29 state-funded primary schools across Devon, Dorset, and Plymouth in South West England. Founded in 2004 (originally as Primary Academies VA Trust) and enlarged by the merger with the Genesis Trust in September 2017, the Trust serves children aged 4–11 through a network that combines Church of England designated schools and community primary academies, supported by a centralized trust-wide FFT Enrichment programme covering sport, music, art, performances, and inter-school events.

Operationally, the Trust runs from a central hub at Blackpool CE Primary School in Newton Abbot under CEO Paul Walker (appointed January 2018), with the central hub handling finance, HR, estates, marketing, IT, and procurement across the network. Governance is structured through six local hub boards and three board-level committees (Education, Strategic & Finance, Audit & Risk), with majority Foundation Director representation appointed by three Church of England diocesan bodies: Exeter (EDEN), Salisbury DBE, and Bath & Wells DBE.

Revenue is derived from Department for Education funding agreements channelled through Devon County Council, Dorset Council, and Plymouth City Council admissions processes. The Trust is privately held as a non-profit with no equity investors, no app, and no proprietary technology stack; its sole third-party technology integration is GovernorHub for governance management. As a state-funded educational entity, there is no direct consumer pricing; income depends entirely on per-pupil funding formulae and ancillary grants such as Community Infrastructure Levy awards to individual schools.

Name

First Federation

Legal name

First Federation Trust

Website

https://firstfederation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

First Federation Trust is a charitable Multi-Academy Trust operating 29 state-funded primary schools across Devon, Dorset, and Plymouth, serving children aged 4–11 through Church of England and community schools under CEO Paul Walker since 2018.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH), Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Multi-academy trust
• State-funded schools
• School governance
• Primary school network

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton Abbot

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

First Federation Trust operates a network of 29 state-funded primary schools across Devon, Dorset, and Plymouth, delivering primary education (Early Years, KS1, KS2) to children aged 4-11 through a mix of Church of England and community schools. The Trust provides centralized back-office functions (HR, estates, marketing, IT, procurement, finance) via a Central hub, alongside the FFT Enrichment program offering extracurricular activities in music, sport, art, and community engagement.

Product overview

First Federation Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) providing educational services through a network of 29 primary schools across Devon, Dorset, and Plymouth. The organization is structured around core educational delivery via its school network, supplemented by the FFT Enrichment program that ensures all students have access to extracurricular activities including performances, sports, music, and community engagement opportunities. The trust also provides centralized operations including HR, estates, marketing, IT, and procurement through a central hub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• First Federation Trust Primary Education Network
• FFT Enrichment Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Brixington Primary Academy continues to meet Ofsted expected standards with strong emphasis on attendance, behaviour, and pastoral support (The Bridge and The Bubble provisions)

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Exeter Diocesan Education Network (EDEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation member and appointing body for Foundation Directors on the board. EDEN represents the Exeter Diocese and ensures church school interests are represented in trust governance.
• Salisbury Diocesan Board of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation member appointing Foundation Directors to the board. Represents Salisbury Diocese church school interests in trust governance.
• Bath & Wells Diocesan Board of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation member appointing Foundation Directors to the board. Appointed Rachel Warwick as Foundation Director from 23/07/2025.
• Devon County CouncilcoreOthersLocal Authority for most trust schools. Handles school admissions for Devon schools. Devon SEND Local Offer available for families.
• Dorset CouncilcoreOthersLocal Authority for Dorset-based trust schools. Handles admissions for Dorset schools. Dorset SEND Local Offer available.
• Plymouth City CouncilcoreOthersLocal Authority for Plymouth-based trust schools (Mary Dean's CE Primary, St Budeaux CE Primary). Handles admissions and SEND Local Offer.
• Hennock Parish CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded £32,065 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to Chudleigh Knighton CE Primary School for inclusive play equipment for Early Years.
• Outdoor Play UKminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSelected as provider for Chudleigh Knighton CE Primary School outdoor play equipment project with works due over summer holidays.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ted Wragg Trust: Multi-Academy Trust operating schools across the South West of England. Highly comparable to First Federation given overlapping South West geography and direct leadership overlap (First Federation's Chair, Alex Walmsley, is also a trustee and Principal Finance Officer at Ted Wragg Trust).
• Aspire Academy Trust: Multi-Academy Trust with schools in the South West region. Directly comparable to First Federation given similar scale and geography, plus leadership overlap (Rachel Warwick, First Federation Foundation Director, also serves as CEO of Aspire Academy Trust).
• South Dartmoor Academy Trust: Devon-based Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools. Comparable to First Federation given shared South West geography and direct leadership overlap (Rachel Shaw, First Federation EDEN Foundation Director, was previously CEO of South Dartmoor Academy Trust).
• Exeter Learning Academy Trust: Exeter-based Multi-Academy Trust serving primary-age children. Closely comparable to First Federation given shared Devon geography and direct leadership overlap (Rachel Shaw, First Federation EDEN Foundation Director, was previously CEO of Exeter Learning Academy Trust).
• Reach Academy Trust: Smaller primary-focused Multi-Academy Trust offering comparable school-improvement and central-service models. Comparable to First Federation as a peer MAT structure, although operating at much smaller scale and outside the South West.
• Acorn Academy Trust: South West Multi-Academy Trust that operates Axminster Community Primary Academy as a member of the First Federation network. Directly comparable as a smaller regional MAT operating in overlapping Devon geography and serving the same primary-age segment.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: One of the largest Multi-Academy Trusts in England, operating primary and secondary schools nationally. Comparable to First Federation as a large-scale MAT operator with centralised governance and shared back-office services, though at much greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: National Multi-Academy Trust operating dozens of primary and secondary schools across England. Comparable to First Federation as a portfolio MAT with shared central services, although significantly larger and operating across multiple regions rather than concentrating in a single geography.
• Ark (Ark Academies): National education charity operating a network of primary and secondary academies. Comparable to First Federation as a multi-school academy operator with central governance and school-improvement frameworks, though with national rather than regional geographic focus.
• E-ACT: Large national Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary academies across multiple English regions. Comparable to First Federation as a MAT with shared services and central governance, though operating at much larger scale and with broader geographic spread.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/firstfederation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-federation-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries29 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 First Federation