What The Romero Catholic Academy does

The Romero Catholic Academy is a Catholic Multi Academy Company (MAC) registered in England and operating under the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Founded in 2015, it brings together eight schools in North East Coventry — one secondary (Cardinal Wiseman) and seven primaries (Corpus Christi, Good Shepherd, Sacred Heart, SS Peter and Paul, St Gregory's, St John Fisher and St Patrick's) — to deliver a continuous Catholic education pathway for approximately 3,500 pupils aged 2–19, supported by 500+ staff.

The MAC is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Brendan Fawcett, with day-to-day leadership provided by Catholic Senior Executive Leader Helen Quinn. A centralised Shared Services Team — co-located at Cardinal Wiseman since October 2020 — delivers finance, HR, estate management, school improvement and (since August 2020) catering across all eight schools. Two Teaching Schools, including the Blue Sky Teaching Alliance, extend this footprint into teacher training and professional development for the wider education system. Operational technology is built on Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Teams (primary remote learning) and Google Hangouts/Classroom (secondary), with PiXL providing assessment analytics from Year 1 to Year 13.

Revenue is overwhelmingly state-funded: the MAC receives per-pupil grants from the UK Department for Education via the Education and Skills Funding Agency, supplemented by pupil meal payments, Teaching School course income and ancillary fees. Admissions are managed through the standard UK school admissions framework with priority given to baptised Catholic families. The MAC's go-to-market is effectively direct-to-family within its North East Coventry catchment, amplified by parish and community channels, the Romero News quarterly newsletter, and active social media on Facebook, LinkedIn, X and YouTube. Recent strategic emphasis has been on centralising HR (Romero People Strategy, 2024), codifying the pupil experience (Romero Child Charter, 2020) and building external profile through partnerships such as the Ed Sheeran / Coventry Music / St Giles Trust event at Cardinal Wiseman in December 2025.

Name

The Romero Catholic Academy

Legal name

The Romero Catholic Academy

Website

https://romeromac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Romero Catholic Academy is a Catholic Multi Academy Company in North East Coventry, operating eight schools (one secondary, seven primary) that deliver a seamless 2–19 Catholic education to about 3,500 pupils, funded primarily by UK government per-pupil grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter School Networks (Multi-Site) (EDAJACAC)

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Multi academy company
• Secondary school education
• Teacher training programmes
• School shared services

Headquarters

HQ city

Coventry

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding (UK DfE/LA): As a Multi Academy Company, The Romero Catholic Academy receives state funding from the UK Department for Education via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), allocated per pupil across its eight schools. Funding covers teaching staff, premises, and operational costs. This is the primary revenue stream sustaining the organization.
2. Catering Services: A centralized catering team joined the Shared Services Team from 1 August 2020, providing meals to pupils across all schools. Revenue is generated through pupil meal payments (universal infant free school meals and paid meals for other year groups).
3. Teaching Schools and Staff Development: The MAC operates two Teaching Schools that provide high-quality training and development to staff within and beyond the Romero network, generating revenue through teacher training programmes and professional development courses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Romero Catholic Academy is a Multi Academy Company (MAC) that operates a network of eight Catholic schools — one secondary (Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School) and seven primaries (Corpus Christi, Good Shepherd, Sacred Heart, SS Peter and Paul, St Gregory's, St John Fisher, St Patrick's) — in North East Coventry, delivering Catholic education to approximately 3,500 pupils aged 2–19. A centralized Shared Services Team provides finance, HR, estate management, catering, and school improvement support across the network, and the MAC also runs two Teaching Schools (including the Blue Sky Teaching Alliance) that deliver teacher training and continuing professional development to staff within and beyond Romero.

Product overview

The Romero Catholic Academy is a Multi Academy Company (MAC) consisting of eight Catholic schools in Coventry, providing a seamless educational journey from ages 2-19 years. The network includes one secondary school (Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School) and seven primary schools (Corpus Christi, Good Shepherd, Sacred Heart, SS Peter and Paul, St Gregory's, St John Fisher, and St Patrick's). The organization operates a Shared Services Team that provides centralized administrative support including finance, HR, estate management, and catering. The academy also includes two Teaching Schools that provide high-quality training and professional development to staff across the partnership. As this is an educational institution rather than a technology product company, there are no discrete software products, modules, or technology offerings to catalog.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blue Sky Teaching Alliance: Teaching School Alliance established by the Romero MAC to provide high-quality training and development to school staff.

Products and services

• Cardinal Wiseman Catholic Secondary School Catholic secondary and sixth-form education for ages 11–18 (Key Stages 3, 4 and 5) including GCSEs, A-Levels and vocational qualifications such as Level 1 Practical Horticulture Skills, delivered with a Catholic ethos at the MAC's secondary hub in Coventry.
• Corpus Christi Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 3–11 (Reception through Year 6), delivering the National Curriculum and EYFS framework underpinned by Catholic Religious Education and liturgy.
• Good Shepherd Catholic School Catholic primary school for children aged 3–11 in North East Coventry, part of the Romero MAC's network of seven primary schools.
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 3–11 in North East Coventry, recognised with two Outstanding Ofsted ratings as part of the Romero MAC.
• SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 5–11 in North East Coventry, part of the Romero MAC's primary network.
• St Gregory's Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 4–11 in North East Coventry, part of the Romero MAC's primary network.
• St John Fisher Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 3–11 in North East Coventry, part of the Romero MAC's primary network.
• St Patrick's Catholic Primary School Catholic primary school for children aged 3–11 in North East Coventry, part of the Romero MAC's primary network.
• Blue Sky Teaching Alliance (Teaching Schools) Teaching School Alliance delivering teacher training and continuing professional development to staff within and beyond the Romero MAC network, generating revenue through training programmes and positioning the MAC as a central player in school-led system improvement.
• Centralised School Catering Services Centralised catering service integrated into the MAC's Shared Services Team from August 2020, providing school meals to pupils across all eight Romero schools and generating revenue through pupil meal payments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Distinction for Cardinal Wiseman, driven by tree planting (400+ trees in 'Wiseman Wood'), Romero Eco Days, and biodiversity initiatives.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Coventry MusicminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Coventry Music invited Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School to Ed Sheeran's visit on 5 December 2025, as part of his family's foundation partnership with Coventry Music and St Giles Trust, which launched two transformative music initiatives for young people. Headteachers from secondary schools across the city attended.
• St Giles TrustminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025St Giles Trust partnered with Ed Sheeran's family foundation and Coventry Music to launch music initiatives at Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School on 5 December 2025, prior to Ed Sheeran's concert at the CBS Arena.
• CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 August 2024CAFOD assesses and awards the LiveSimply Award to Catholic communities demonstrating they live simply, care for creation, and stand in solidarity with the poor. The Romero Shared Services Team was the first central MAC team in the country to receive this award (August 2024). Individual schools have also received the award.
• Chris LubbeminorOthers · 8 April 2024Nelson Mandela's former bodyguard Chris Lubbe spoke at the Romero Belongs staff training day (April 2024), sharing his journey from apartheid South Africa to serving Mandela, inspiring 500+ staff and governors on themes of peace, reconciliation, and belonging.
• Floyd Steadman OBEminorOthers · 8 April 2024Former Saracens rugby captain (first black captain of a Premiership club) and OBE recipient Floyd Steadman spoke at the Romero Belongs staff training day, sharing his journey of overcoming racial barriers and his career in education and rugby.
• Robin Hood MATminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2017Robin Hood MAT collaborated with STEM Learning and Warwickshire School Library Service to produce home learning resources during the COVID-19 school closures (2020), shared across the Romero MAC's online learning platform.
• Birmingham Diocesan Education Service (BDES)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015BDES is the Diocesan education authority for the Archdiocese of Birmingham and is integral to the Romero MAC's governance. BDES oversees Foundation Governor and Director recruitment, conducts Section 48 inspections of Catholic schools, and provides guidance on maintaining the Catholic character of schools. The Romero MAC works closely with BDES on governance appointments and school improvement.
• Blue Sky Teaching Alliance (Coventry)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Helen Quinn, CSEL of the Romero MAC, established the Blue Sky Teaching Alliance prior to her appointment at Romero. The MAC accesses two Teaching Schools (including Blue Sky) to provide high-quality teacher training and professional development for new and experienced staff. This positions the MAC at the centre of school-led system improvement.
• Eight Parish Communities (Coventry)coreOthersThe eight schools maintain strong relationships with their parish communities, including Corpus Christi, Sacred Heart, St Elizabeth's, St John Fisher, St Patrick's, and others within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Parish Priests (Father Peter, Father Tony, Father Jimmy) play a role in school life, Confirmation services, and Foundation Governor appointments.
• Roots to Fruit MidlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoots to Fruit Midlands partnered with Cardinal Wiseman to deliver the Level 1 Practical Horticulture Skills course and support Romero Eco Days at primary schools, providing vocational qualification delivery and environmental education through horticulture training.
• Deeley ConstructionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoventry-based Deeley Construction completed extensions at St Patrick's Primary School (2017), including a sensory room named after Martin Curtin and a staff room expansion, at highly reduced cost. Peter Deeley visited the school to understand its needs and ensured all work was completed during school holidays.
• IxionminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIxion is the training partner for the Facilities Apprentice role at the Romero MAC, providing apprenticeship training and qualification support for support staff roles across the schools.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ark Schools: Large UK MAT operating a portfolio of academies with shared curriculum, teaching training and central services. Comparable in operating multi-school networks under a single brand and teaching school infrastructure.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, operating primary and secondary academies nationwide. Relevant as a scaled MAT with a strong central team, teaching school function, and London-centric operational model.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Mid-tier UK MAT operating a portfolio of primary and secondary academies with centralised school improvement. Comparable on size, scope and central support function design.
• Oasis Community Learning: UK MAT operating Oasis academies across primary and secondary phases with centralised support functions and a faith-inspired ethos. Relevant for multi-site K-12 operation and hub-and-spoke governance.
• United Learning: Large UK MAT running both state-funded academies and independent schools with central services. Comparable in scope and central infrastructure, even though not Catholic-specific.
• Laidlaw Schools Trust: UK MAT operating a network of primary and secondary schools with centralised curriculum and school improvement services. Relevant comparability on multi-site governance and shared-service delivery.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies in the Midlands and East of England. Directly comparable on geographic adjacency to Coventry and similar network operating model.

Direct peers

• Plymouth CAST (Catholic Schools Trust): A Catholic multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary Catholic schools in the Diocese of Plymouth. Closest structural analogue to the Romero Catholic Academy as a faith-rooted multi-school network with centralised services.
• Sophia Academy Trust: A Catholic multi-academy trust running Catholic schools across a defined region of England. Closely comparable to the Romero MAC as a faith-rooted, multi-school network sharing Diocesan-style governance.
• Christus Catholic Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust operating schools under Diocesan oversight with shared Catholic ethos and centralised support. Comparable to Romero as a faith-based MAC structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/romero_mac_
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVp2SMyHs9qnDjFoypVV4dQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/RomeroAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-romero-catholic-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 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 The Romero Catholic Academy