Sapientia Education Trust

What Sapientia Education Trust does

Sapientia Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) registered as a charitable company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (company number 7466353). Founded in March 2016 with Wymondham College as its founding school, the trust operates 22 schools (13 primary and 9 secondary) across Norfolk and Suffolk, serving approximately 9,700 pupils with a workforce of 1,400 staff. Two of its secondary schools operate state boarding facilities, and the trust's schools range from small rural primaries to larger secondary comprehensives. Sapientia has expanded from the founding school through a series of school conversions and integrations, including Beccles High School which was restructured and relaunched after joining the trust.

The trust's core operating model rests on a centralised support infrastructure for its otherwise distributed school portfolio. This includes the Sapientia Gateway staff portal providing policies, templates and procedural guidance; a WebIT Recruit vacancy portal for hiring across schools; and Steplab, an evidence-based instructional coaching platform deployed trust-wide for staff CPD. The Sapientia Academy of Learning bundles structured Leadership Development Programmes, apprenticeship routes via Best Practice Network, Trust Collaboration Days, and Professional Development Networks into the workforce proposition. Revenue is predominantly state education funding via the Department for Education, allocated per pupil and based on educational outcomes, supplemented by boarding fees from the two state boarding schools. The trust reinvests any surplus into educational provision and is governed by 6 Members and 9 Trustees with no parent company or external private equity ownership. Jonathan Taylor serves as founding CEO alongside Deputy CEOs for primary and secondary phases, a CFO, COO, and a director-level central services team spanning HR, IT, Estates, Safeguarding, Standards, Professional Learning and Inclusive Learning.

Name

Sapientia Education Trust

Legal name

Sapientia Education Trust

Website

https://se-trust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Sapientia Education Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating 22 schools (13 primary, 9 secondary) across Norfolk and Suffolk, serving approximately 9,700 pupils with 1,400 staff and funded primarily through state education and boarding fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust (Primary and Secondary Education)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• State education services
• Primary school education
• Secondary school education
• State boarding provision

Headquarters

HQ city

Wymondham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: The trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) receiving state funding through the Department for Education for educating pupils across its 22 schools. Funding is based on pupil numbers and educational outcomes.
2. Boarding Fees: The trust operates two state boarding schools generating boarding fee income from students who board at Wymondham College and other boarding facilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sapientia Education Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) delivering primary and secondary state education across 22 schools (13 primary and 9 secondary) in Norfolk and Suffolk, serving approximately 9,700 pupils with a staff of 1,400. The trust provides full-time education from Reception through A-Level, including two state boarding schools, and supports school improvement through shared curriculum frameworks, professional development networks, and centralised operations.

Product overview

Sapientia Education Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with 22 schools (13 primary and 9 secondary) serving approximately 9,700 pupils across Norfolk and Suffolk. The Trust provides educational services through its network of schools, supported by centralized operations including the Sapientia Gateway staff portal and the Sapientia Academy of Learning for staff professional development. The organization was founded in 2016 with Wymondham College as its founding school and operates state boarding facilities at some schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary School Education Services State-funded primary education from Reception through Year 6, including nursery provision at some schools, delivered across 13 primary schools ranging from small rural schools to larger primaries serving communities across Norfolk and Suffolk.
• Secondary School Education Services State-funded secondary education from Year 7 through A-Level, including GCSE and vocational qualifications, delivered across 9 secondary schools (including Wymondham College as the founding school) serving communities across Norfolk and Suffolk.
• State Boarding Provision Residential state boarding provision at Wymondham College and other trust schools for students who board during term time, generating boarding fee income to support trust operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secondary school outcomes are 'above average' for progress in GCSE league tables
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 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

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Best Practice NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partnership providing access to education-based apprenticeships and professional development routes including Early Years, TA pathways, specialist TA roles and teacher apprenticeships across the trust.
• Department for Education (DfE) RISE Advisory TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJonathan Taylor, SET CEO, is part of the Department for Education's RISE (Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence) advisory team, working with schools in the region that require additional support.
• World Class Schools NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchools within the trust engage with the World Class Schools network, taking part in shared projects, peer review and cross-school collaboration.
• Norfolk and Suffolk Schools ForumsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust team members are members of Norfolk and Suffolk Schools Forum, contributing to regional education policy and collaboration.
• Norfolk CFOs NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust supports the Norfolk CFOs network and provides support to other trusts with financial advice including deployment of new finance systems.
• SteplabcoreTechnology or IntegrationSteplab is used across all trust schools to facilitate evidence-based instructional coaching for teaching staff. Focussing on small, actionable steps to improve classroom practice.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Star Academies: UK MAT running primary and secondary schools with strong leadership development and outcomes focus. Comparable to Sapientia in operating a multi-phase academy network with central school improvement oversight.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: UK primary-focused MAT operating primary academies across multiple regions. Comparable to Sapientia as a primary-heavy MAT with central standards and school improvement functions.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: UK MAT operating a mix of primary and secondary academies across multiple regions. Comparable to Sapientia in operating model, geographic spread, and state-funded school portfolio.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest UK MATs by number of schools and pupils, operating primary and secondary academies. Comparable to Sapientia in scale, multi-region MAT model, and central services structure.
• United Learning: Major UK Multi-Academy Trust running both state and independent schools, comparable to Sapientia in operating a mix of primary and secondary phases with central CPD and leadership development infrastructure.
• Oasis Community Learning: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts operating a network of primary and secondary academies across multiple regions. Directly comparable as a large-scale MAT with a community-oriented ethos and geographic spread similar in model to Sapientia.
• Ark Schools: UK MAT running primary and secondary academies with a focus on educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Comparable to Sapientia as a multi-phase MAT with structured leadership development and outcomes-driven culture.
• Harris Federation: Large London-and-region focused UK MAT operating primary and secondary academies with strong academic outcomes and a centralised school improvement model, comparable to Sapientia's regional MAT structure.

Regional players

• Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust: Norfolk-based UK MAT operating schools in the same region as Sapientia. Comparable as a regional primary/secondary MAT with overlapping geography and similar community-focused school improvement model.

Others

• Best Practice Network: UK education training and apprenticeship provider partnering with Sapientia on workforce development. Comparable as a strategic partner supporting staff CPD and apprenticeships inside a MAT model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SapientiaTrust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries22 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 Sapientia Education Trust