School 21

What School 21 does

School 21 is a pioneering state-funded, all-through school for pupils aged 4-18, located at Pitchford Street in Stratford, East London, and operated by the Big Education Trust. It serves families in one of inner London's most diverse communities, providing free education under the Department for Education's academy funding model alongside supplementary fee-based wraparound care (£15.50 per session, 3pm-5:45pm) operated by partner Premier Education. The school's core product is its distinctive 'Head, Heart and Hand' pedagogical framework, integrating academic excellence (Head), character development (Heart), and practical/real-world skills (Hand). Around this, School 21 delivers a portfolio of signature programmes: a nationally recognised Oracy curriculum with a public-facing Annual Oracy Exhibition; three-times-weekly 40-minute coaching sessions for oracy, careers, and workplace preparation; a whole-class Band Project instrumental music programme for Years 5-9; extended Project Based Learning modules; and a Future Pathways careers programme supported by the Unifrog platform and an annual careers fair with 20+ college and university attendees. The Sixth Form ('Six 21') offers A-Levels across STEM, DARTS, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

The school's digital ecosystem is built on third-party platforms: Arbor Parent App for parent communications, Seesaw (primary homework), Satchel One (secondary homework), Google Classroom, and Times Table Rockstars. Ancillary services include free Magic Breakfast provision, Living Wage Foundation accreditation, SEND support via dedicated SENCO roles, and partnerships with Citizens UK Newham Alliance, Jamie Farm (residential), Restore the Music (Year 5 Samba Batucada), and the Nourish Programme (School Food Matters, Newham Council, University of Birmingham). Reported outcomes include 90% of sixth form students as external recruits (signalling strong reputation reach), 97%+ attendance in top-performing classes, FFT Attendance Award 2023/24, Music Drama Education Awards Winner 2024, and student progression to Oxford, King's College London, and Loughborough.

School 21 is structured as part of Big Education Trust (3 schools: School 21, School 360, Surrey Square Primary), which has Department for Education approval to merge with Oasis Community Learning (56 academies) effective 1 September 2026, creating one of England's largest multi-academy trusts while preserving School 21's identity, leadership, and ethos. The combined entity will extend the reach of School 21's pedagogical model across a substantially larger network. Operationally, the school runs with 51-100 employees and is governed by a Local School Board under the Big Education Trust.

Name

School 21

Legal name

Big Education

Website

https://school21.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

School 21 is a state-funded 4-18 school in Stratford, East London, operated by Big Education Trust. It delivers a holistic 'Head, Heart and Hand' curriculum including an oracy programme, coaching sessions, and instrumental music, and is merging with Oasis Community Learning's 56 academies in September 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Title I & Compensatory Education Programs (EDAJAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Charter Special Education & Inclusive Programs (EDAJACAF), General Preschools (Play-Based) (EDACABAA)

Keywords

• State-funded education
• Primary and secondary schooling
• Sixth form college
• Oracy curriculum programme
• Wraparound childcare services

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, Supply Chain, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

School 21 is a state-funded, inclusive 4-18 all-through school in Stratford, East London delivering holistic education through its proprietary Head (academic), Heart (character) and Hand (practical skills) framework. Core offerings span Reception through A-Level, including signature practices such as the Oracy programme, Band Project instrumental music, three-times-weekly coaching sessions, Project Based Learning, and the Future Pathways careers programme. Fee-based wraparound childcare is offered in partnership with Premier Education.

Product overview

School 21 is a single-site K-18 educational institution (ages 4-18) operating as part of Big Education Trust in Stratford, East London. The school offers a unified holistic education programme built around its distinctive 'Head, Heart and Hand' pedagogical framework, supplemented by a sixth form (Six 21) offering A-Level courses across STEM, DARTS, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Additional integrated offerings include the Band Project instrumental music programme, Project Based Learning curriculum modules, a Future Pathways careers programme, and wraparound care services. Parents access school information through the Arbor Parent App platform. The institution is merging with Oasis Community Learning effective September 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• School 21 (4-18 All-Through Education)

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of sixth form students are external recruits, demonstrating strong appeal
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

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

• Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University (NovSU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2026Five-year strategic cooperation agreement enabling NovSU students to undertake internships in Uzbekistan, participate in international hackathons, access joint educational modules on neural networks, and receive support for AI startups. Working groups will launch pilot educational cohorts and joint hackathons to strengthen workforce training in high-tech industrial sectors for Russia and Uzbekistan.
• School 21 UzbekistancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 May 2026Sister institution partnership under the strategic cooperation agreement with NovSU. Supports international internship opportunities and AI startup development between Uzbekistan and Russia educational institutions.
• Jamie FarmcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear 7 residential retreat programme providing five days of adventure in the Welsh countryside. The trip is fully funded for all Year 7 students, integrating environmental education with personal development through Bertha Earth connection activities.
• Restore the MusiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic charity providing funding support for Year 5 Samba Batucada programme, enabling whole-class drumming lessons and Festival of Light performances.
• Premier EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExternal childcare provider operating Play Active Club wraparound care service at School 21. Provides before and after school care with range of activities including sports, creative workshops, and homework support. Running some of the largest wraparound care sites in the country with capacity for up to 100 children per day.
• Magic BreakfastcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership ensuring no child is too hungry to learn by providing healthy, nutritious breakfast including cereals, porridge, and bagels free for all students Monday to Friday.
• Oasis Community LearningflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerger effective September 2026 combining Big Education Trust (School 21, School 360, Surrey Square Primary) with Oasis Community Learning (56 academies). Creates one of England's largest and most respected multi-academy trusts, extending holistic education model across larger network with awards for mental health, inclusion, and community engagement.
• Citizens UK Newham AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity alliance of 24 organisations (8 local schools) for collective action on local issues. School 21 students work on projects with Living Wage Foundation and participate in participatory action research with UCL on Ofsted reform.
• Prept KitchenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Harriet from Prept Kitchen delivered cooking demonstration for Year 9 and Year 11 students on climate-conscious street food, focusing on sustainable cooking and environmentally friendly food choices.
• Abbey Hub and Kevin Jenkins OBE CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth provisions providing after school club (Thursday-Friday 4pm-6pm) at Abbey Hub with creative workshops, sports, homework support, and life skills; and Woodlands Club at Kevin Jenkins OBE Outdoor Learning Centre (Tuesday 4pm-6pm) with bushcraft skills and environmental awareness activities.
• Nourish Programme (School Food Matters + Newham Council + University of Birmingham)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFully funded programme providing free support to develop whole-school food policy, food-themed engagement sessions for students, staff and parents, and bespoke food strategy guidance. Project Officer Yumna Ansari works closely with school to improve breakfast quality and salad availability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Big Education Trust (parent): The multi-academy trust operating School 21, School 360, and Surrey Square Primary. Directly comparable as the umbrella organisation sharing the Head-Heart-Hand pedagogical framework and central leadership.
• Oasis Community Learning: The 56-academy multi-academy trust merging with Big Education Trust from September 2026. Direct peer as a fellow UK MAT with comparable scale ambitions, holistic ethos, and community-anchored education model.
• Reach Academy Feltham: All-through free school in Hounslow with a strong character-and-academics ethos and similar inclusive intake. Closely comparable as another pioneering 4-18 school delivering holistic education in a London catchment.
• XP School: Secondary school in Doncaster founded on project-based learning and expeditionary pedagogy. Highly comparable as one of the few UK schools using extended PBL as the central organising principle for the curriculum.
• School 360: Sister primary school within Big Education Trust, sharing the same Head-Heart-Hand framework, leadership pipelines, and pedagogical IP. Directly comparable as a sister institution within the same trust.
• Surrey Square Primary: Third school within Big Education Trust, sharing central services and pedagogy. Directly comparable as a fellow trust school with identical operating model and central governance.

Broad incumbents

• Ark Schools: One of the UK's largest and most established multi-academy trusts, operating a network of schools across the country. Comparable as a large-scale MAT pursuing innovative pedagogy and serving similar disadvantaged urban populations.
• Harris Federation: Large London-based multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies. Comparable as an urban-focused MAT delivering measurable academic outcomes at scale, often in disadvantaged areas similar to Stratford.

Emerging players

• Bohunt Education Trust: Multi-academy trust recognised for its innovative curriculum (e.g. Bohunt School Wokingham). Comparable as a smaller, pedagogically distinctive UK MAT pursuing alternative approaches within the state system.
• King's College London Mathematics School: Selective state sixth form in Lambeth with strong academic outcomes and university progression. Comparable as an aspirational London state sixth form competing for the same external sixth-form recruits as School 21's Six 21.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/school21_uk
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100088726659994
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/school-21-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 School 21