What Samuel Ward Academy does

Samuel Ward Academy is a state-funded secondary school and Sixth Form located in Haverhill, Suffolk, England, founded in 1978 and operating as part of Unity Schools Partnership, a Multi-Academy Trust covering schools in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The institution serves students in Years 7 through 13, delivering GCSE and A-Level programmes alongside vocational Level 3 qualifications (Health and Social Care, Business, Sport, Media, Engineering) and add-on offerings such as the Extended Project Qualification and Core Maths. Curriculum delivery is organised across 18+ subject departments and supported by a Supra-Curricular enrichment programme, careers education measured against the Gatsby Benchmarks, and a Student Leadership structure. SEND support, transition support from primary schools, and teacher training through a Teaching School Alliance round out the service portfolio.

The school's technology stack is conventional edtech consumption rather than proprietary development. It integrates third-party platforms including Go4Schools for homework setting and tracking, GCSEPod for video-based GCSE content, Seneca Learning for revision, and Mathswatch for mathematics instruction. Parent-facing systems include ParentPay for payments and Microsoft Outlook (Office 365) for communications. Operational data sits in SIMS, with academic analytics via SISRA, and an eProspectus system handles Sixth Form applications. A 1:1 iPad device initiative was rolled out for all Sixth Form students from September 2024, and the school maintains alumni engagement through the Future First charity platform.

The business model is public sector funding, not commercial revenue. There is no tuition fee; per-pupil funding flows from the Education and Skills Funding Agency through Unity Schools Partnership. Ancillary income is generated via facilities hire (food hall seating 170, studio theatre seating 250, Astroturf, 3G pitch, sports hall) and minor commercial streams such as second-hand uniform sales. Governance sits with a Local Governing Body within the trust structure, with Mr T Johnston as Headteacher, Dr K Geall as Head of School, and Mr K Blakey as Director of Education for Unity Schools Partnership.

Name

Samuel Ward Academy

Legal name

Samuel Ward Academy

Website

https://samuelward.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Samuel Ward Academy is a state-funded UK secondary school and Sixth Form in Haverhill, Suffolk, serving students in Years 7–13 with GCSE, A-Level, and vocational programmes within the Unity Schools Partnership Multi-Academy Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Haverhill

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Samuel Ward Academy is a state-funded secondary school and sixth form located in Haverhill, Suffolk, providing full-time education for students aged 11-18 (Years 7-13). The school delivers GCSE and A-Level academic programmes alongside Level 3 vocational qualifications, enrichment activities, SEND support, careers guidance, and teacher training as part of the Unity Schools Partnership multi-academy trust. As a publicly funded institution, it charges no tuition fees and receives funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency through the Department for Education.

Product overview

Samuel Ward Academy is a secondary school and Sixth Form in Haverhill, Suffolk, operated by Unity Schools Partnership. The institution offers a unified educational service combining secondary school education (Years 7-11) with a dedicated Sixth Form provision (Years 12-13). The school provides a broad curriculum through subject departments including Art, Science, English, Mathematics, Languages, and Humanities, alongside vocational and A-Level programmes in the Sixth Form. Key products include the core educational programmes (GCSE and A-Level courses), vocational qualifications (Health and Social Care, Business, Sport, Media, Engineering), and supplementary offerings such as the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and Core Maths. The Supra-Curricular Programme combines enrichment with personal development and careers support. Additional services include SEND support, careers guidance, student leadership opportunities, facilities hire, and teacher training through their Teaching School Alliance. The Sixth Form operates from a purpose-built facility separate from the main school, offering over 25 different post-16 courses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Samuel Ward Sixth Form: The sixth form provision of Samuel Ward Academy offering A-Level and vocational courses for Years 12-13 students.

Products and services

• Samuel Ward Academy Secondary School State-funded secondary school education for students in Years 7-11 located in Haverhill, Suffolk, part of Unity Schools Partnership. Delivers a broad and balanced curriculum across KS3 and KS4 leading to GCSE qualifications.
• Samuel Ward Sixth Form

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of students staying in education or employment
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Unity Schools PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSamuel Ward Academy is part of Unity Schools Partnership, a multi-academy trust based in Haverhill, Suffolk. The trust provides shared governance, policies, resources, professional development, and collaborative working opportunities across member schools. Unity SP offices are located at Homefield Road, Haverhill, CB9 8QP.
• Future FirstminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with national education charity Future First to help schools stay connected with former students. Future First specialises in alumni network building, enabling schools to recruit alumni as career role models, work experience providers, mentors, and potential governors.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Stour Valley Community School: Nearby secondary school serving pupils in the Stour Valley area immediately surrounding Haverhill. Comparable as a local catchment competitor for Year 7 intake.
• Newmarket Academy: Secondary school and sixth form in Forest Heath, Suffolk, drawing from a similar rural market-town catchment. Comparable as a regional peer of similar size and demographic profile.
• Saffron Walden County High School: Large secondary school with sixth form in nearby Essex serving the Uttlesford district. Comparable regional competitor for post-16 students crossing into Cambridgeshire/Essex border areas.
• King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds: Established secondary school with sixth form in Bury St Edmunds, ~19 miles from Haverhill. Comparable as a regional competitor for Suffolk sixth-form recruitment and a longstanding peer school.

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating primary, secondary, and sixth-form provision nationally. Comparable as a large-scale MAT with similar funding model and operational structure, though much broader in scope.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: National MAT operating dozens of secondary and primary academies across England. Comparable as a fellow large academy trust with the same per-pupil funding model and similar governance/oversight regime.
• Hills Road Sixth Form College: Large, high-attainment sixth form college in Cambridge (~17 miles from Haverhill). Comparable as a competitor specifically for post-16 recruitment, with stronger A-level outcomes that could draw upper-attaining students away from Samuel Ward's sixth form.
• Unity Schools Partnership: Parent multi-academy trust that oversees Samuel Ward among multiple other schools. Comparable as the regional operating entity that determines shared funding, governance, and strategic direction.

Direct peers

• Felixstowe School: Another Unity Schools Partnership secondary academy currently undergoing a sixth form consultation. Directly comparable as a trust peer delivering GCSE and post-16 provision in Suffolk.
• Castle Manor Academy: Sister academy also within Unity Schools Partnership, serving a similar age range in Haverhill/Suffolk. Operates under the same trust policies and governance, making it the most directly comparable peer institution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SamWardAcad
• Facebookfacebook.com/samuelwardacademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samuel-ward-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 Samuel Ward Academy