St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College

What St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College does

St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College is a state-funded Catholic secondary school for boys aged 11-16, with a co-educational sixth form for students aged 16-18, located on Hollydale Road in Nunhead, South East London. The school serves students from Nunhead and surrounding South East London boroughs and operates under the governance of Chair of Governors Joseph Reed, with Eamon Connolly serving as Headteacher and Ms Pearce as Head of Sixth Form. The Sixth Form opened in September 2014 and now offers 24 A Level and BTEC subject options, alongside structured programmes including the Future Scholars Programme (Oxbridge preparation with ringfenced funding), the STAC Basketball Academy, an Enrichment Programme with timetabled student societies, a Work Experience programme, and an Apprenticeship Support programme.

The institution runs on standard UK educational technology infrastructure rather than proprietary systems: ParentPay for parental payments, Microsoft Teams for communication, CPOMS for safeguarding, SAM People for HR, Sparx Maths/Reader, ActiveLearn for MFL, Unifrog for careers, and Everlearner for PE, with Applicaa powering sixth-form applications. Curriculum delivery spans Key Stages 3, 4, and 5, supported by an extensive partner network covering universities (Oxford, Cambridge, Dulwich College), major employers (Kings College Hospital, Guy's & St Thomas, JP Morgan, Citi Bank, BP, Sky TV, PwC, Mace), and local parish churches.

Commercially, the school is a non-profit with revenue derived primarily from UK government per-pupil funding for KS3-KS5, supplemented by optional paid services (school meals, uniform, educational trips) and voluntary contributions through the STAC Student Fund. Customer acquisition is direct-to-consumer through annual open evenings, the school website, a Virtual Tour, and the Applicaa platform, with internal Year 11 students retaining priority pathways into the Sixth Form. The school has been recognised with an Outstanding Ofsted rating (November 2024), Outstanding categories from the Catholic Schools Inspectorate, the 2017 TES Secondary School of the Year award, and a Progress 8 score of +1.45 (Number 10 nationally in 2024), with 100% of students progressing to their first-choice university.

Name

St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College

Legal name

St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College

Website

https://stac.uk.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Secondary and Sixth Form Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Sixth form college
• Catholic education
• A level courses
• Btec courses

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition/Fee-based Education: As a state-funded Catholic secondary school with sixth form, the institution receives government funding for Key Stages 3, 4, and 5 education. Additional revenue generated through school meals, uniform sales, educational trips, and voluntary donations (STAC Student Fund).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College is an 11-18 Catholic secondary school for boys with a co-educational sixth form. It delivers academic, pastoral, and enrichment services across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5, including 24 A Level and BTEC subject options, careers guidance via UCAS, the Future Scholars Programme for Oxbridge candidates, the STAC Basketball Academy, work experience and apprenticeship pathways, and a range of student societies. Additional paid services include school meals, uniform, and educational trips, with voluntary donations to the STAC Student Fund.

Product overview

St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College is an 11-18 Catholic secondary school for boys with a co-educational sixth form. The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5, with the Sixth Form providing 24 subject options including A Levels and BTEC vocational courses. The portfolio includes the Basketball Academy (partnered with Southwark Legends), Future Scholars Programme for Oxbridge/high-tariff university candidates, and an Enrichment Programme with student societies covering Medicine, Physics, Mathematics, Literature, Psychology, Economics, Debate, and Law. Supporting programmes include UCAS application support, work experience placements, and apprenticeship guidance. The school achieved Ofsted Outstanding status (November 2024) and is ranked Number 10 in the country with a Progress 8 score of +1.45.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sixth Form College Co-educational sixth form offering A Level and BTEC vocational courses for students in Years 12-13, opened in September 2014. Provides academic curriculum supplemented by enrichment programmes, work experience placements, and university preparation support.
• STAC Basketball Academy Sports programme partnering with Southwark Legends and Functionall coaching, offering 12 hours per week of basketball-focused training, strength and nutrition programmes, and potential opportunities for university scholarships and AAU trips to the USA.

Quantifiable outcome

• Progress 8 score of +1.45 - students achieve over one grade higher than expected in each GCSE
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southwark Legends Basketball ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewly established partnership with Southwark Legends for the STAC Basketball Academy programme. Helps use basketball as a vehicle to inspire young people build a better future both on the basketball court and in the classroom.
• FunctionallcoreTechnology or IntegrationPerformance coaching company partnered with STAC Basketball Academy. One of the top performance coaching companies in the basketball industry providing coaching expertise.
• London LegendsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational league team competing in NBL South Premier competition. Potential for pupils to join the team. Also provides AAU trips to the USA.
• Work Experience PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive work experience partnerships including: Kings College Hospital, Guys & St Thomas Hospital, Sky TV, BP, BUPA, Aviva, Citi Bank, Arcadis UK, CBRE Real Estate Services, White and Case LLP, Armstrong International, BGC, Coller Capital, JP Morgan, Montagu. These provide students with realistic industry exposure.
• Apprenticeship PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished links with local and regional businesses for apprenticeship opportunities: Southwark Council, Mace, FLO, National Rail, British Gas, PwC, London Fire Brigade, South London and Maudsley Hospital.
• Dulwich CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for interview preparation for Future Scholars Programme Oxbridge candidates.
• Oxford and Cambridge UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFuture Scholars Programme includes visits to both Oxford and Cambridge, Oxbridge conference attendance, Q&A sessions with admissions tutors, and bespoke mentoring from Oxbridge alumni.
• Pathway CTMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareers support partner for apprenticeship applications and networking meetings.
• St Thomas the Apostle ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNearby parish church with Fr Raymond Abuga as great friend of the school. Holy Mass celebrated with each year group in school chapel. Advent Carol Service held at the church.
• Our Lady of Sorrows Church, PeckhamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFr Stephen Morrison from Our Lady of Sorrows Church joins Fr Ray in celebrating Mass with students.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School: Catholic boys' secondary school in Kensington, London with similar faith-based identity and strong academic record. Directly comparable on admissions model, Catholic mission, and selective positioning in the London Catholic schools market.
• St Olave's Grammar School: Selective grammar school in Orpington/Kent serving South East London families. Comparable on catchment geography, academically selective admissions, and top-tier Progress 8 / university placement outcomes.
• Sacred Heart High School, Hammersmith: Catholic girls' secondary school in West London with strong academic record. Comparable as a Catholic faith-based secondary school competing for the same faith-aligned London families.
• Wilson's School: Selective boys' grammar school in Sutton, South London. Comparable on single-sex admissions, academically elite positioning, and Outstanding-rated outcomes competing for the same aspirational South London families.
• St Benedict's School: Catholic co-educational school in Ealing, West London. Comparable as a faith-based independent school serving similar aspirational London families with academic stretch and sixth-form provision.
• The John Roan School: Secondary school in Greenwich/Blackheath serving South East London. Comparable as a neighbouring state-funded secondary competing for the same geographic catchment and academically aspirational families.
• Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College: Co-educational secondary school and sixth form in New Cross, directly adjacent to STAC's Nunhead catchment. Comparable as a local South East London secondary competitor serving overlapping families.

Broad incumbents

• Dulwich College: Elite independent boys' school in South London with extensive sixth form. Already a partnership counterparty via Future Scholars Programme. Comparable on academic stretch, university preparation, and South London catchment overlap.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stacsouthwark
• Facebookfacebook.com/Stthomasapostle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-thomas-the-apostle-college

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 St Thomas the Apostle School and Sixth Form College