Starbank School

What Starbank School does

Starbank School is a state-funded academy in Birmingham, England, operating across three sites (Hob Moor Road, Starbank Road, and Bierton Road) and serving pupils from nursery through Year 11 (ages 3–16). It joined Star Academies, a mixed Multi-Academy Trust running more than 30 primary and secondary schools across England, in October 2020 and was rated 'Good' by Ofsted following its first inspection in June 2023. The school delivers a knowledge-rich curriculum aligned with the English Baccalaureate at secondary level, supplemented by a distinctive leadership specialism structured around five foundations (sport, creativity, performing arts, enterprise, and social action) and a STAR values framework (Service, Teamwork, Ambition, Respect).

The school's core products are its Primary Curriculum (Early Years Foundation Stage through Key Stage 2) and Secondary Curriculum (Key Stage 3 and GCSE-level programmes), delivered using established educational schemes such as Read Write Inc. for phonics and Language Angels / Languagenut for Modern Foreign Languages. Supporting programmes include the STAR Leadership Programme, Star Readers initiative, Rocket Radio/TV production studio, the Star Innovators Challenge, and the Future Engineers Academy co-developed with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Teacher training is delivered via the National Institute of Teaching (NIoT), and parent engagement runs through the MCAS (MyChildAtSchool) portal.

Starbank generates revenue exclusively through state education funding routed via Star Academies' funding agreements with the UK Department for Education, with no tuition fees charged to families. Go-to-market is admissions-driven via the local authority, supported by open events, the school website, X (Twitter), the annual Starlight Magazine, and direct parent communications. The customer base is local Birmingham families admitted under published oversubscription criteria, with governance provided by a Local Accountability Board chaired by Sarah Portlock and per-site leadership via dedicated Principals.

Name

Starbank School

Legal name

Starbank School

Website

https://starbankschool.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Starbank School is a state-funded academy in Birmingham, UK, operating three campuses that deliver nursery-through-GCSE education as part of Star Academies multi-academy trust. It serves local families at no tuition cost, offering an English Baccalaureate-aligned curriculum with a distinctive leadership specialism and STEM partnerships including Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: As a state-funded academy within Star Academies multi-academy trust, Starbank School receives government education funding through the Trust's funding agreements with the Department for Education. The school is free to attend for pupils.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Starbank School is a state-funded academy operated by Star Academies that delivers primary and secondary education to pupils aged 3-16 (Nursery through Year 11) across three campuses in Birmingham, UK. The school runs a leadership-specialism curriculum with enrichment programmes such as the STAR Leadership Programme and Future Engineers Academy, and operates under the STAR values framework.

Product overview

Starbank School is a primary and secondary educational institution operated by Star Academies multi-academy trust, providing comprehensive educational programmes from Early Years Foundation Stage through GCSE. The school operates across three sites (Starbank Road, Hob Moor Road, and Bierton Road) in Birmingham. Core offerings include Primary Curriculum and Secondary Curriculum programmes featuring the English Baccalaureate pathway. Supporting programmes include Star Readers reading initiative, Rocket Radio/TV production studio, STAR Leadership Programme with five foundations (sport, creativity, performing arts, enterprise, social action), and Future Engineers Academy in partnership with Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS. The school also offers teacher training through the National Institute of Teaching and publishes the Starlight Magazine. A parent portal (MCAS/MyChildAtSchool) provides access to student information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Education (Nursery to Year 6) State-funded primary schooling for pupils from Nursery through Year 6 across three Birmingham campuses, covering the national curriculum with reading, language, and character-education specialisms.
• Secondary Education (Years 7 to 11) State-funded secondary schooling for pupils in Years 7 through 11, following the national curriculum and preparing students for GCSEs, delivered alongside the school's leadership specialism.
• STAR Leadership Programme Enrichment programme aligned to the school's leadership specialism, designed to develop leadership skills, character, and the STAR values across all year groups.
• Future Engineers Academy An enrichment academy offering engineering-focused project work and STEM experiences for pupils, complementing the main curriculum.
• Nursery Provision Early-years nursery education for children aged 3+ at Starbank campuses, following the EYFS framework and feeding into the primary school.
• Breakfast and After-School Club Wraparound childcare offering breakfast and after-school club provision for pupils attending Starbank School, supporting working parents.

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of pupils achieved expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (KS2 2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 TeamflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2026Star Academies and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team collaborate on the Future Engineers Academy, a pioneering programme designed to inspire pupils in STEM learning and engineering careers. The secondary phase launched in January with the primary phase added in March 2026. The programme is in its second year of collaboration.
• National Institute of Teaching (NIoT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStar Academies is a founding partner of the National Institute of Teaching, collaborating with Harris Federation, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, and Oasis Community Learning to provide initial teacher training programmes. The NIoT delivers immersive teacher training programmes with support for newly qualified teachers.
• Star AcademiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarbank School is part of Star Academies, a mixed Multi-Academy Trust running a network of more than 30 primary and secondary schools nationwide. Star Academies provides governance, academy improvement systems, professional development (Star Talent Academy), and strategic oversight.
• Birmingham HippodromeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Birmingham Hippodrome to bring books to life through expressive arts and drama, particularly for Key Stage 1 pupils.
• Anne Frank TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Key Stage 2 pupils to lead guided tours and presentations to peers about Anne Frank's legacy and the dangers of discrimination and prejudice.
• Shakespeare Birthplace TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing drama workshops for Key Stage 2 pupils at Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to support English and Performing Arts curriculum.
• The James Dyson FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccess to Dyson Technology resources from The James Dyson Foundation to support Design Technology curriculum and inspire engineering careers.
• Young VoicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld's largest children's choir organisation through which Starbank School pupils participate in large-scale musical events including the Worldwide Wicked Singalong.
• Living Wage FoundationminorOthersStar Academies is an accredited Living Wage Foundation employer, ensuring fair pay across the Trust.
• Big Ideas ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning national competition challenging young people to design solutions to real-world problems through the 'Big Ideas' programme.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating primary and secondary academies, including in London and the South East. Harris is a co-founding partner of the National Institute of Teaching alongside Star Academies, making it a close operational and strategic peer.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large multi-academy trust running academies across England with a strong community-embedded mission akin to Starbank's STAR values framework. It is also a co-founding partner of the National Institute of Teaching.
• Star Academies: The parent multi-academy trust that runs Starbank School and over 30 other primary and secondary schools nationwide. It is the most directly comparable entity as it shares governance, curriculum frameworks, branding and central services with Starbank.
• Ark Schools: National education charity running a network of academies and nonselective schools. Comparable to Starbank/Star Academies in operating non-fee-paying academies with a structured curriculum network approach.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating dozens of primary and secondary schools across northern and central England. Another NIoT co-founding partner and a comparable scale operator of state-funded academies.

Broad incumbents

• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest academy sponsors in England with a national footprint of primary and secondary academies. A broader incumbent running a comparable model at greater scale.
• United Learning: Large, established UK group of independent and state schools and academies. A broader incumbent with overlapping academy operations but a wider portfolio including fee-paying schools.
• E-ACT: Large multi-academy trust running dozens of academies across England. Comparable as a national-scale academy operator with overlapping curriculum and improvement-system approaches.

Emerging players

• Reach Academy Feltham: All-through (4-18) state-funded school emphasising character education, enrichment and university destinations. A relevant emerging peer given Starbank's similar emphasis on character, leadership specialism and university preparation.

Regional players

• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust running primary and secondary schools primarily across the East Midlands. A regional peer with a comparable state-academy operating model, though geographically adjacent rather than overlapping with Birmingham.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/starbank_school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 Starbank School