Oak Learning Partnership

What Oak Learning Partnership does

Oak Learning Partnership is a UK Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating a network of primary and secondary schools across Bury and Blackburn, with headquarters in Unsworth, Bury. Founded in 2019 and structured as a charitable company limited by guarantee, the trust currently oversees five member schools (Philips High School, Blackburn Central High School, Unsworth Primary School, Fairfield Community Primary School and Holcombe Brook Primary School), supplemented by Oak Outreach, a SEND-focused training and SENCO network service delivered across the wider Bury authority. Its 'core product' is the School Improvement Model, a structured methodology for evaluating and standardising school performance across the network, supported by centralised back-office functions covering HR, IT, finance, governance, estates and marketing.

The trust's business model is not commercial in the traditional sense. Revenue is derived from Department for Education per-pupil funding formulas based on pupil numbers across member schools, supplemented by income from Oak Outreach training services and professional development offerings. New schools join after an 18-month collaboration period, providing a deliberate, trust-led GTM motion that integrates governance and central services before formal acquisition. The trust is governed by Members and a board of Trustees with deep education, NHS, legal and finance expertise, and is led by CEO James Franklin-Smith.

Distribution is via direct engagement with school leadership and local authorities rather than conventional marketing channels. Communication relies on a LinkedIn company page, a tri-annual Oak News newsletter, and ongoing website content. Customer outcomes are evidenced by Philips High School achieving 55% of Year 11 pupils earning grade 5+ in English and maths (up 10% year-on-year and above the 45% national average) and by Unsworth Primary School receiving the national SEND Inclusion Award (SENDIA).

Name

Oak Learning Partnership

Legal name

Oak Learning Partnership

Website

https://oaklp.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Oak Learning Partnership is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating five primary and secondary schools across Bury and Blackburn, providing centralised governance, school improvement and SEND outreach services, funded principally by Department for Education per-pupil grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Virtual & Blended Learning Programs (District-Run) (EDAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Secondary education
• Academy trust management
• SEND support services
• School improvement programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Bury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As an academy trust, Oak Learning Partnership receives government funding based on pupil numbers for its member schools, supplemented by outreach services and professional development offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Oak Learning Partnership is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools across Bury and Blackburn. The trust provides centralised services (HR, IT, finance, governance, estates, marketing) to member schools and runs Oak Outreach, a SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support and training service for schools. The trust's core offering is the operation and improvement of its member schools, with a stated philosophy of "Inclusion at the heart of our trust."

Product overview

Oak Learning Partnership is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating a network of schools across Bury and Blackburn. The trust operates as a unified educational organization rather than a software product company. Its core offering consists of a family of schools (including Philips High School, Unsworth Primary School, Blackburn Central High School, and newly joined Fairfield Community Primary School and Holcombe Brook Primary School) supported by a central services team providing HR, IT, finance, governance, estates, and marketing support. The trust also operates Oak Outreach, an outreach service providing SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support and training to schools within Bury. The organization does not offer technology products or SaaS platforms in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Oak Outreach: SEND support and training outreach service providing SENCO and school support within Bury, co-ordinating SENCO Network across the authority and offering comprehensive training programmes.

Products and services

• Philips High School A comprehensive secondary school within Oak Learning Partnership, located in Bury, offering secondary education to Year 11 students and beyond. Achieved 55% of Year 11 cohort earning grade 5+ in both English and maths (10% improvement year-on-year, above the national average of 45%).
• Blackburn Central High School A secondary school within Oak Learning Partnership, based in Blackburn, providing secondary education and supporting career pathway opportunities for students (e.g., part-time work with Michelin-star chef Nigel Haworth).
• Unsworth Primary School A primary school within Oak Learning Partnership, located in Unsworth, Bury. Received the national SEND Inclusion Award (SENDIA) for high-quality education for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
• Fairfield Community Primary School A primary school that joined Oak Learning Partnership in April 2026 after 18 months of collaboration, providing primary education and gaining access to the trust's central services.
• Holcombe Brook Primary School A primary school that joined Oak Learning Partnership in April 2026 after 18 months of collaboration, providing primary education and gaining access to the trust's central services.
• Oak Outreach A SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) support and training service co-ordinating the SENCO Network across Bury. Provides comprehensive training programmes and outreach support to schools within the authority, leveraging the trust's two large special schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Philips High School achieved 55% of Year 11 cohort earning grade 5+ in both English and maths, up 10% from 2024 and above national average of 45%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Curious CrittersminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025Philips High School science department partnered with Curious Critters organization to provide hands-on animal experiences for students, including spiders, scorpions, beetles, snakes, and owls.
• Halle OrchestraminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025Students from Oak Learning Partnership schools attended a Halle Orchestra concert at The Bridgewater Hall, with the concert created in collaboration with teachers and music educators across the country to provide unique educational resources for GCSE and A-level music students.
• Internal Central ServicescoreOthersThe trust's central team provides expert guidance across services including HR, IT, finance, governance, estates and marketing to member schools. Heads of service are supported by dedicated in-house teams.
• The Three Fishes (Nigel Haworth)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlackburn Central High School student secured part-time employment with Michelin star chef Nigel Haworth at The Three Fishes in Mitton, providing career pathway support for students.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: The largest Multi-Academy Trust in the UK, operating a broad portfolio of primary, secondary, and special schools nationally. Same MAT model and school-improvement approach as Oak Learning Partnership but at materially greater scale and geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Ark Schools: UK Multi-Academy Trust running a network of primary and secondary schools with a defined school-improvement methodology and central services — structurally and operationally analogous to Oak Learning Partnership.
• Harris Federation: Large UK Multi-Academy Trust known for strong academic outcomes across its primary and secondary schools. Operates the same MAT-plus-central-services model as Oak Learning Partnership and competes for the same joiner-school pipeline.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): UK Multi-Academy Trust with a sizable national portfolio of primary and secondary schools. Operates the same school-conversion and central-services model as Oak Learning Partnership and competes for the same prospective joiner schools.
• Oasis Community Learning: UK Multi-Academy Trust with a values-led, inclusion-focused approach to running academies nationally. Direct overlap with Oak Learning Partnership's inclusion-first positioning and academy-trust operating model.
• Vision Multi Academy Trust: Greater Manchester-based Multi-Academy Trust operating a group of primary schools in Bury, directly overlapping Oak Learning Partnership's geographic footprint. A board member (Carol McLachlan) is CEO of Vision MAT, underscoring close operational and governance ties.
• The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT): Large UK Multi-Academy Trust operating primary, secondary, and special schools with a strong emphasis on school improvement and SEND provision. Comparable multi-academy structure and SEND capability to Oak Learning Partnership's Oak Outreach.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: UK Multi-Academy Trust focused on primary schools, with a family-of-schools operating model and central support services. Comparable in scale and primary-school concentration to Oak Learning Partnership's primary-focused member base.
• E-ACT: National Multi-Academy Trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary schools, particularly in underperforming areas. Same school-improvement and turnaround focus as Oak Learning Partnership.
• Star Academies: UK Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools with a strong school-improvement and inclusion ethos, comparable multi-school governance model, and similar outreach and central-services structure to Oak Learning Partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oak-learning-partnership
• Xx.com/OLPartnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Oak Learning Partnership