John Milton Academy Trust

What John Milton Academy Trust does

John Milton Academy Trust (legally Oxlip Learning Partnership) is a multi-academy trust registered in England and Wales as a private company limited by guarantee (company number 07656715) without share capital, founded in 2011 and operating as a government-funded educational non-profit. On 1 September 2024, John Milton Academy Trust was legally transferred into Gippeswyk Community Educational Trust, with the combined entity rebranded as Oxlip Learning Partnership — named after the county flower of Suffolk. The trust operates seven schools across the Ipswich and Mid-Suffolk areas: five primary schools (Bacton Primary, Britannia Primary and Nursery, Cedars Park Primary, Mendlesham Primary with Mulberry Unit, Rose Hill Primary) and two secondary schools (Copleston High School with Specialist Unit and Sixth Form, Stowupland High School with Mulberry Unit), plus three specialist units supporting students with communication and interaction needs. Its core technology stack is non-proprietary, described as standard educational technology infrastructure with no differentiated platform or IP.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively from the UK Department for Education via per-pupil formula funding under funding agreements held with the Secretary of State for each constituent school, with no customer-facing pricing, tuition fees, or commercial revenue streams. The trust's go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer in the sense that students enroll through the national school admissions process coordinated with local authorities, while the trust itself grows by welcoming new schools into the federation via an expression-of-interest process. Centralized support services — including recruitment, human resources, data protection (outsourced to Schools' Choice), governance, and policy management — are delivered trust-wide to all schools, creating shared back-office infrastructure across the federation. Teaching and support staff are compensated on national pay scales with substantial employer pension contributions (Teachers' Pension Scheme at 23.68% and Local Government Pension Scheme at a minimum of 23.8%), and the trust holds gender pay gap reporting obligations and Modern Slavery Act compliance. Leadership is headed by Chief Executive Officer Shaun Common (formerly ten-year Principal of Copleston High School) and Chair of Trustees Robert Wade (retired Suffolk Constabulary Police Superintendent), with a refreshed board reflecting post-merger governance expansion.

Name

John Milton Academy Trust

Legal name

Oxlip Learning Partnership

Website

https://johnmiltonacademytrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Oxlip Learning Partnership (formerly John Milton Academy Trust) is a UK government-funded multi-academy trust operating seven primary and secondary schools across Ipswich and Mid-Suffolk, serving pupils from ages 4-18 — including three SEND specialist units — through per-pupil Department for Education funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Magnet & Specialty Schools (STEM/Arts/IB/CTE) (EDAJAAAF)

Keywords

• Primary education
• Secondary education
• Academy trust
• Special educational needs
• School governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Stowmarket

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As an academy trust, Oxlip Learning Partnership receives government funding from the Department for Education based on pupil numbers. Funding agreements are maintained with the Secretary of State for each school.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

John Milton Academy Trust, operating as Oxlip Learning Partnership, is a multi-academy trust running seven schools across Suffolk, UK — five primary schools (one with nursery) and two secondary schools — plus three specialist units for pupils with communication and interaction needs. It delivers state-funded primary and secondary education to children and young people aged 4–18, supplemented by central trust services including employee benefits administration, recruitment, governance, and data protection.

Product overview

John Milton Academy Trust, operating as Oxlip Learning Partnership, is an educational academy trust comprising seven schools (five primary and two secondary) plus specialist units. The trust offers a unified portfolio of educational services through its constituent schools: Bacton Primary School, Britannia Primary School and Nursery, Cedars Park Primary School, Mendlesham Primary School, Rose Hill Primary School, Copleston High School with Specialist Unit and Sixth Form, and Stowupland High School. In addition to school-based education, the trust provides centralized support services including employee benefits administration (pension schemes, EAP), recruitment services, data protection and GDPR compliance, governance support, and policy management across all schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mulberry Unit: Specialist unit attached to selected schools within the trust for students with special educational needs.

Products and services

• Bacton Primary School A primary school in the Suffolk community offering education to children in a caring environment, focused on individual child development and community values.
• Britannia Primary School and Nursery A primary school with an integrated nursery facility in Suffolk providing early years and primary education.
• Cedars Park Primary School
• Mendlesham Primary School and Mulberry Unit A primary school with a specialist Mulberry Unit catering for pupils with communication and interaction needs.
• Rose Hill Primary School A primary school in Ipswich committed to high academic, personal and moral standards, underpinned by the Rose Hill 6Rs values.
• Copleston High School, Specialist Unit and Sixth Form A secondary school in Ipswich offering GCSE and A-Level programmes, a specialist unit for SEND pupils, and sixth form provision.
• Stowupland High School and Mulberry Unit A secondary school in Mid-Suffolk offering a broad academic and extracurricular curriculum, with a Mulberry specialist unit for additional needs support.
• Employee Benefits Programme Trust-wide employee benefits including Teachers' Pension Scheme (23.68% employer contribution), Local Government Pension Scheme (minimum 23.8% for support staff), competitive holiday entitlements, maternity/paternity scheme, CPD, and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Recruitment Services Trust-wide recruitment services with application forms for teaching and support staff, safeguarding policies, and equal opportunities compliance support.
• Data Protection Services Data protection services including Data Protection Policy, Privacy Notices and GDPR compliance managed through the Schools' Choice DPO service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Schools aim to minimize attainment divides ensuring all students progress in line with top-performing schools

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Schools' ChoicesupportingOthersSchools' Choice provides Data Protection Officer (DPO) services to the trust. Located at Concertus House, 2 Friars Bridge Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1RR. Contact: [email protected], Tel: 0300 123 1420 option 5.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• United Learning: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, operating primary, secondary and sixth-form schools nationally. Highly comparable as a state-funded MAT with a similar mix of educational phases and central shared-services model.
• Star Academies: UK multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools funded through DfE. Comparable academy trust structure and education-only operating footprint.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: UK MAT operating a portfolio of primary, secondary and special schools. Comparable structure, ethos and revenue model to Oxlip's multi-site trust arrangement.
• Harris Federation: Significant UK MAT with primary, secondary, sixth-form and SEND provision across London and the South East. Comparable multi-phase governance model and reliance on DfE funding.
• Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT): Large UK multi-academy trust running a portfolio of primary, secondary and special schools. Directly comparable operating model and pupil-funded revenue base to Oxlip.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: Major UK MAT operating a comparable network of primary and secondary academies across multiple regions. Comparable scale, structure and DfE funding model.
• Wellspring Academy Trust: Regional UK MAT combining primary, secondary and special/AP provision including SEMH specialist units. Closely comparable given Oxlip's Mulberry SEND specialist units.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (Polaris Academies): Large UK MAT operating primary, secondary and SEND schools. Directly comparable multi-academy trust structure and centralised operating model.

Regional players

• Anglian Learning: East of England-based multi-academy trust operating schools across Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. Highly comparable regionally — same DfE region and overlapping school communities as Oxlip.
• Active Learning Trust: East of England multi-academy trust running primary, secondary and special schools in similar geographies. Comparable regional MAT model serving DfE funding flows in adjacent counties.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/miltontrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnmiltonacademytrust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries7 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 John Milton Academy Trust