Red Kite Learning Trust
Red Kite Learning Trust is a charitable Multi-Academy Trust operating 16 state-funded schools across North and West Yorkshire, serving more than 10,000 children and young people from nursery to sixth form, funded principally via the UK Education and Skills Funding Agency.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHarrogate, United Kingdom
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Red Kite Learning Trust does
Red Kite Learning Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number 7523507). It operates 16 schools across North and West Yorkshire, serving more than 10,000 children and young people from nursery through sixth form. The Trust is headquartered at Pannal Ash Road, Harrogate (HG2 9PH) and provides centralised support services to its member schools covering School Improvement, Human Resources, Finance, Technology, Estate Management, and Specialist Support (catering, procurement, marketing and communications, data analysis, admissions, data protection, and governance support). Teaching and operational roles are recruited directly through a careers portal, with secondary recruitment channels including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
The Trust operates a platform-plus-services model with multiple sub-brands. Red Kite Teacher Training is an Ofsted Outstanding-rated (February 2024) school-based initial teacher training provider operating in partnership with the University of Leeds across postgraduate, undergraduate, and apprenticeship routes. Red Kite Teaching School Hub delivers ITT, ECF, NPQs, and Appropriate Body services alongside school improvement support. Red Kite Alliance is a partnership of Yorkshire schools providing leadership, training, and development, including the RED Award equality and diversity accreditation programme. Red Kite Foundation supports inclusion and disadvantaged pupils, while Red Kite Connect is an internal/online platform. Technology underpins operations through Microsoft Power BI, SQL, and Python for data analytics; Exeant for educational visits management; and Arbor and Tapestry as school management information systems.
The Trust's revenue model is government-funded: per-pupil funding flows from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), supplemented by local authority grants, teacher training grants, and Teaching School Hub income. Pricing is not commercially disclosed, consistent with the Trust's not-for-profit, publicly funded status. No commercial revenue streams, venture capital, or private equity ownership are present. The Trust's customer base in the traditional commercial sense does not exist; beneficiaries are pupils and families, while the payer is the UK government. A leadership transition occurred in February 2026 with Ian Tucker appointed CEO, succeeding Richard Sheriff.
Red Kite Learning Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Red Kite Learning Trust
- Legal name
- Red Kite Learning Trust
- Website
- https://rklt.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Red Kite Learning Trust is a charitable Multi-Academy Trust operating 16 state-funded schools across North and West Yorkshire, serving more than 10,000 children and young people from nursery to sixth form, funded principally via the UK Education and Skills Funding Agency.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Red Kite Learning Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harrogate
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Red Kite Learning Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Government Education Funding: As a multi-academy trust, Red Kite Learning Trust receives government funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for educating pupils across its 16 schools. Funding is based on pupil numbers and covers operational costs.
- Student Loan Reimbursement Programme: Available for eligible teaching roles in North Yorkshire schools, providing additional compensation to attract teachers
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Red Kite Learning Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Red Kite Learning Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (charitable company limited by guarantee) operating 16 schools across North and West Yorkshire, delivering nursery-through-sixth-form education to over 10,000 children and young people. It runs centralized shared services (school improvement, HR, finance, technology, estate management, specialist support) for member schools and operates partner-facing programmes including Red Kite Teacher Training, the Red Kite Teaching School Hub, and the Red Kite Alliance partnership network.
Product overview
Red Kite Learning Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) comprising 16 schools across North and West Yorkshire, serving over 10,000 children from nursery to sixth form. The Trust operates a platform-plus-services model, with centralized support functions (School Improvement, HR, Finance, Technology, Estate Management, Specialist Support including catering, procurement, marketing, data analysis, admissions, data protection, and governance support) delivering shared services to all member schools. The Trust also operates several distinct sub-brands: Red Kite Alliance (partnership network for leadership and training), Red Kite Teacher Training (initial teacher training in partnership with University of Leeds), Red Kite Teaching School Hub (professional development for teachers), Red Kite Connect (online platform), and Red Kite Foundation (support for disadvantaged pupils). The RED Award is an equality and diversity accreditation program exclusive to Alliance schools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Red Kite Teacher Training: Outstanding school-based provider of initial teacher training in North and West Yorkshire, offering postgraduate, undergraduate and apprenticeship routes in partnership with the University of Leeds.
- Red Kite Teaching School Hub
- Red Kite Alliance
- Red Kite Education
- Red Kite Foundation
Products and services
- Red Kite Learning Trust Schools A network of 16 state-funded schools providing nursery, primary, secondary, and sixth-form education to over 10,000 children and young people across North and West Yorkshire.
- Red Kite Teacher Training School-based provider of initial teacher training (ITT) in North and West Yorkshire offering postgraduate, undergraduate, and apprenticeship routes into teaching, accredited through the University of Leeds and rated Outstanding by Ofsted in February 2024.
- Red Kite Teaching School Hub A Teaching School Hub providing Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Early Career Framework (ECF), Appropriate Body services, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), and broader school-to-school support across the region.
- Red Kite Alliance A partnership network of Yorkshire schools offering nationally accredited and bespoke leadership, training, support, research, and development opportunities to member schools, including the RED Award equality and diversity accreditation programme.
- RED Award A three-stage accreditation programme that supports schools to review, strengthen, and celebrate equality, diversity, respect for individuals, and community cohesion, culminating in a certificate and wall plaque. Helps schools meet statutory duties under the Equality Act 2010.
- Centralised Trust Services (HR, Finance, Technology, Estate Management, School Improvement, Specialist Support) A suite of centralised support services (School Improvement, HR, Finance, Technology, Estate Management, and Specialist Support including catering, procurement, marketing, data analysis, admissions, data protection, governance support) provided by the Trust central office to all 16 member schools.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ofsted Outstanding rating for Red Kite Teacher Training (February 2024)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Red Kite Learning Trust
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Red Kite Learning Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration13 records
Feature3 records
Red Kite Learning Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- University of LeedscoreRed Kite Teacher Training operates in partnership with the University of Leeds, offering BA (Hons) Primary Education with QTS and postgraduate routes into teaching. Trainees benefit from evidence-informed practice and university-accredited qualifications.
- Hutchison Catering LimitedminorHutchison Catering Limited provides outsourced catering services to Primary Schools within the Trust, complementing the in-house catering at Secondary Schools.
- Red Box Consultancy Services LimitedminorPartnership with Red Box Consultancy Services Limited to monitor catering compliance at Secondary schools and review standards within Primary schools.
- PagabominorTrust uses Pagabo's procurement frameworks for national frameworks in the Education Sector, including the Academy Services Framework, to manage compliant procurement processes.
- Teaching School AlliancescoreRed Kite Teaching School Hub works with Teaching School Alliances, Research and Curriculum Hubs across North and West Yorkshire to provide a 'one stop shop' where every school can find support.
- Local AuthoritiescoreTrust works closely with local authorities for school admissions coordination, managing the legal duty to co-ordinate allocation of school places to children within communities served.
- HY EducationminorTrust-appointed Data Protection Officer (DPO) providing data protection oversight, annual data audits, and compliance with Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Red Kite Learning Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oasis Community Learning: National multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across England with hubs focused on inclusion and community engagement. Comparable to Red Kite in MAT structure and emphasis on inclusion through sub-brands.
- Outwood Grange Academies Trust: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in the North of England, headquartered in Yorkshire and operating a comparable portfolio of primary and secondary schools with centralized support services. Most direct structural and geographic comparable to Red Kite Learning Trust.
- Harris Federation: Major London-based multi-academy trust with primary and secondary schools and a strong teacher training operation. Comparable to Red Kite in offering a centralized-services MAT model with significant teacher development infrastructure.
- United Learning: Large national multi-academy trust running primary, secondary, and all-through schools across England with strong teacher training programmes. Comparable to Red Kite in MAT structure, school mix, and educator development focus.
- Star Academies: National multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across England with a strong focus on teacher training and school improvement. Comparable to Red Kite in its combination of school operations and professional development services.
- Ormiston Academies Trust: National multi-academy trust with a network of primary and secondary schools across England. Comparable to Red Kite in operating a mixed-phase school estate with centralized support services.
- Polaris Academies Trust: Regional multi-academy trust operating schools across Yorkshire and the North of England. Comparable to Red Kite in regional concentration, MAT structure, and primary/secondary school mix.
- Endeavour Learning Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools across the North of England. Comparable to Red Kite in geographic footprint, school mix, and centralized MAT support model.
- Lift Schools: National multi-academy trust (formerly Academies Enterprise Trust) operating primary and secondary schools across England. Comparable to Red Kite in MAT structure and breadth of central services delivered to member schools.
- Wellspring Academy Trust: Regional multi-academy trust based in Yorkshire and the North of England operating primary and secondary schools with strong inclusion and SEND focus. Highly comparable to Red Kite's regional footprint and inclusive ethos.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Red Kite Learning Trust social profiles
Digital presenceRed Kite Learning Trust compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Red Kite Learning Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Red Kite Learning Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Red Kite Learning Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Red Kite Learning Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Red Kite Learning Trust
What does Red Kite Learning Trust do?
Red Kite Learning Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (charitable company limited by guarantee) operating 16 schools across North and West Yorkshire, delivering nursery-through-sixth-form education to over 10,000 children and young people. It runs centralized shared services (school improvement, HR, finance, technology, estate management, specialist support) for member schools and operates partner-facing programmes including Red Kite Teacher Training, the Red Kite Teaching School Hub, and the Red Kite Alliance partnership network.
Is Red Kite Learning Trust a public or private company?
Red Kite Learning Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Red Kite Learning Trust founded?
Red Kite Learning Trust was founded in 2015. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Red Kite Learning Trust based?
Red Kite Learning Trust is headquartered in Harrogate, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Red Kite Learning Trust make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Government Education Funding is the primary driver. The others are student Loan Reimbursement Programme.
Who are Red Kite Learning Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oasis Community Learning, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, Harris Federation, United Learning, Star Academies, Ormiston Academies Trust, Polaris Academies Trust, Endeavour Learning Trust, Lift Schools and Wellspring Academy Trust.
Does Red Kite Learning Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Red Kite Learning Trust.