Cornwall Education Learning Trust

What Cornwall Education Learning Trust does

Cornwall Education Learning Trust (CELT) is a UK multi-academy trust operating 16 schools across Mid-Cornwall, founded in 2019 and headquartered in St Stephen, St Austell. The trust educates over 9,000 children and young people from early years through sixth form, supported by approximately 1,200 staff and a centralised body of shared services. CELT serves mainstream primary and secondary learners, children with Education Health and Care Plans through Area Resource Bases, kinship care families, and an early years cohort, with two secondary schools (Penrice Academy and Poltair School) ranked in the top 10% nationally for student recommendation.

CELT operates a hub-and-spoke model combining individual school brands with central functions. Shared CELT Services span Estates, Financial, Information, and People services, while the CELT Centre of Excellence delivers professional development, including the only Teacher Training Internships pathway in Cornwall under the DfE national programme. The CELT Learning Chronicles is a teacher development framework shortlisted for the 2026 Tes Schools Award for Teacher Development Initiative of the Year. Other notable programmes include the Safeguarding Support Hub, CELT Youth Orchestra, and the National Year of Reading 2026 initiative, which targets 100% of learners as readers by December 2026. Core technology comprises a Juniper Education-managed website, blog, newsletter infrastructure, and YouTube for multimedia content; no proprietary technology stack or AI capabilities are disclosed.

The business model is entirely government-funded. Core revenue is per-pupil funding from the Department for Education, supplemented by EHCP top-up funding for specialist provision, capital grants such as the £150,000 School-based Nursery Capital Grant used for Pondhu Primary nursery, and grants tied to specific initiatives. Revenue grows primarily through school conversion into the trust, pupil roll growth, and expansion of specialist provision, capped by UK education funding formulas. Governance is provided by a Board of Trustees with direct input from Community Champions representing parents, carers, staff, and learners.

Name

Cornwall Education Learning Trust

Legal name

Cornwall Education Learning Trust

Website

https://celtrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cornwall Education Learning Trust (CELT) is a UK multi-academy trust operating 16 schools across Mid-Cornwall, educating over 9,000 children and young people with 1,200 staff, funded primarily by government per-pupil funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary education services
• Secondary education services
• Teacher professional development
• Special educational needs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Austell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Per-Pupil Funding: Core revenue from government funding allocated per pupil for academy schools
2. Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) Funding: Top-up funding for learners with Education, Health and Care Plans in Area Resource Bases
3. Government Grants: Capital grants such as the £150,000 School-based Nursery Capital Grant for Pondhu Nursery development

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cornwall Education Learning Trust (CELT) is a multi-academy trust operating 16 schools across Mid-Cornwall, providing primary, secondary, and specialist education to approximately 9,000 children and young people. It delivers curriculum-based education, teacher training via the CELT Centre of Excellence, shared back-office support through CELT Services (Estates, Financial, Information, People), and specialist inclusion provision such as Area Resource Bases for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans.

Product overview

Cornwall Education Learning Trust (CELT) operates as a multi-academy trust with 16 schools educating over 9,000 children across Mid-Cornwall. The trust provides educational services through its network of primary and secondary schools, supported by centralized CELT Services (Estates, Financial, Information, People services). Key offerings include the CELT Centre of Excellence for staff professional development, CELT Learning Chronicles as a teacher development framework, and the National Year of Reading 2026 initiative. The trust also offers safeguarding support, kinship care assistance, teacher training internships, a youth orchestra programme, and community governance structures. These services are delivered through individual school brands under unified trust governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CELT Centre of Excellence: Professional development center for CELT staff providing training, teacher internships, and development programs.

Products and services

• Primary School Education Primary education across CELT primary schools in Mid-Cornwall, delivering the national curriculum to children from Early Years through Key Stage 2.
• Secondary School Education Secondary education across CELT secondary schools, providing Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 curriculum delivery and qualifications.
• CELT Centre of Excellence (Teacher Training) A dedicated teacher development and training centre offering Train to Teach programmes and professional development for educators across the trust and beyond.
• Area Resource Bases (ARBs) Specialist inclusion provision for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), delivered through dedicated resource bases located within CELT schools.
• CELT Services (Shared Back-Office) Shared service functions providing Estates, Financial, Information, and People/HR support across CELT schools to drive operational efficiency.
• CELT Safeguarding Support Hub A resource hub providing safeguarding guidance, training, and support for Designated Safeguarding Leads and families across CELT schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average GCSE grade of 4.7 in best eight subjects, up from 4.4 in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Department for EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCELT participates in DfE programmes including the National Year of Reading 2026 initiative, Teacher Training Internships programme, and Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme. The trust is the only trust in Cornwall offering Teacher Training Internships through the national DfE programme.
• Cornwall CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Cornwall Council's wider work to increase specialist support for children and young people through Area Resource Bases consultations, part of ensuring more learners can access help closer to home.
• RISE South West NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) network programme, bringing together representatives from primary schools across Cornwall and the South West for school improvement priorities.
• Dragons' Den StarsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisa Hicks, creator of eco-friendly brand SNOAP and Dragons' Den investor, visited Bodmin College to support student enterprise education. Students experienced Dragons' Den-style pitching to entrepreneurs.
• Kernow English HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCELT receives support from Kernow English Hub for literacy development, with links to resources and toolkits as part of the National Year of Reading 2026 initiative.
• National Literacy TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Mewan nursery participated in National Literacy Trust initiative, inspiring children to be adventurous with sticks as part of literacy development activities.
• Bournemouth Symphony OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPatrick Bailey, CELT Youth Orchestra conductor, will host The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra concert, bringing orchestral music experiences to CELT students.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: Large national multi-academy trust with a similar mixed primary/secondary model, comparable shared-services approach, and significant investment in staff development programmes.
• Harris Federation: One of the UK's largest academy trusts, operating primary and secondary schools nationwide with comparable central services, school-improvement support, and DfE partnerships.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: One of the largest UK academy trusts, similarly focused on school-improvement methodologies, teacher development, and measurable academic outcomes.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Regional multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools with similar shared-services and inclusion/SEND provision comparable to CELT's Area Resource Bases.
• Oasis Community Learning: National academy trust operating across multiple regions with a strong community-focus ethos comparable to CELT's Community Champions model.

Direct peers

• Truro and Penwith Academy Trust: Another Cornwall-area multi-academy trust operating a comparable mix of primary and secondary schools that competes directly for Mid-Cornwall enrolments and academy conversions.
• Kernow Learning: Kernow Learning is the other major multi-academy trust operating in Cornwall, directly competing with CELT for schools, pupils, and DfE partnerships in the same geography.
• Aspire Academy Trust: Smaller multi-academy trust operating in adjacent South West geographies, sharing the same regulatory and DfE programme environment as CELT.

Emerging players

• Reach Academy Trust: Smaller UK academy trust with a similar emphasis on character education, community engagement, and inclusion that aligns with CELT's stated differentiation.

Regional players

• Bath and Wells Multi Academy Trust: South West-focused multi-academy trust operating a comparable model of small primary networks plus secondary schools under shared governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Celtrust
• Xx.com/CeltAcademies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celtrust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries16 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 Cornwall Education Learning Trust