Ripley St Thomas

What Ripley St Thomas does

Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy is a Voluntary-Aided comprehensive secondary school located on Ashton Road in Lancaster, Lancashire, founded in 1864 by Mrs. Julia Ripley in memory of her husband Thomas Ripley. The school serves 1,700+ pupils aged 11-18, structured into a main academy (Years 7-11) admitting 270 pupils per September, a Sixth Form of approximately 380 students, and a Ripley ITT/SCITT teacher training operation. It is part of The Bay Learning Trust, a multi-academy trust established by the school in 2017 (company number 07588464), which provides governance oversight while operational autonomy is delegated to the Local Governing Body.

The institution's product portfolio spans three core offerings: secondary education with GCSE and A-Level pathways, an Outstanding-rated Initial Teacher Training programme (Ripley ITT/SCITT, Ofsted 2023) including a new SEND-specialist apprenticeship route for 2025-26, and a range of co-curricular and pastoral services including Duke of Edinburgh Award programmes, a dedicated Reading Room and John Crewdson Library, careers guidance aligned with the eight Gatsby Benchmarks, and a Religious Education curriculum following the Blackburn Diocese Illuminating Pathways framework. The school's digital infrastructure is built around the Firefly Virtual Learning Environment (a cloud-based platform for sharing educational resources, assignments, and teacher-pupil interaction) and ParentPay for fee collection. The site includes distinctive facilities such as a school farm, plant centre, walled garden, swimming pool, fitness suite, and an Astro pitch available for facility hire.

Ripley St Thomas is a state-funded Academy with revenue derived primarily from the Department for Education and Lancashire Local Authority, supplemented by transaction-based facility hire income. Admissions operate through the Lancashire Local Authority portal for Year 7 intake (with a faith criteria supplementary form), a direct in-year admissions process, and a separate applicaa.com pipeline for Sixth Form. The institution holds dual Outstanding ratings from Ofsted (December 2022) and SIAMS (2024), placing it in the top 10% of secondary schools nationally for academic results, with a Progress 8 score of 0.62 and an Attainment 8 score of 47.63 reported for 2024.

Name

Ripley St Thomas

Legal name

Ripley St Thomas CE Academy

Website

https://ripleystthomas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ripley St Thomas is a Voluntary-Aided Church of England Academy in Lancaster, UK, serving 1,700+ pupils aged 11-18 across its main school, Sixth Form, and Ripley ITT/SCITT teacher training programme, state-funded via the DfE with supplementary facility hire income.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• Sixth form college
• Teacher training
• Church of england school
• A-level courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: As a Church of England Academy, Ripley St Thomas is state-funded through the Department for Education and Lancashire Local Authority, not through direct tuition fees from families.
2. Facility Hire: Revenue generated from letting school facilities including Astro pitch, swimming pool, sports hall, and other venues to external clubs, societies and charities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ripley St Thomas is a state-funded Church of England voluntary-aided comprehensive academy providing secondary education to over 1,700 pupils aged 11-18, delivering the National Curriculum, GCSEs, and A-Levels through a Christian ethos. It operates as part of The Bay Learning Trust multi-academy trust and additionally runs a Ripley ITT/SCITT teacher training programme for graduates.

Product overview

Ripley St Thomas Church of England Academy operates as a unified educational institution comprising three interconnected offerings: the Main Academy (Years 7-11) providing secondary education with GCSE options, the Sixth Form offering A-Level courses and enrichment, and the Ripley ITT teacher training programme. The school is supported by the Firefly Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) for digital learning delivery, comprehensive Religious Education and PSHE curricula, careers guidance aligned with Gatsby Benchmarks, reading programmes through dedicated libraries, and extensive co-curricular activities including Duke of Edinburgh awards. The institution is part of the Bay Learning Trust multi-academy trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ripley ITT (Initial Teacher Training): Teacher training programme providing routes to train primary and secondary teachers, including core provider route, teacher apprenticeships and assessment only pathway. Judged Outstanding by Ofsted in June 2023.
• Ripley SCITT

Products and services

• GCSE Secondary Education (Years 7-11) State-funded comprehensive secondary education for pupils aged 11-16, delivering the National Curriculum leading to GCSE qualifications, with annual intake of 270 Year 7 pupils.
• Sixth Form A-Level Education (Years 12-13) Post-16 education for approximately 380 students offering A-Level and equivalent courses, with progression routes to higher education, apprenticeships, and employment.
• Ripley ITT/SCITT Teacher Training Programme School-based Initial Teacher Training programme accredited by the Department for Education, offering primary and secondary pathways leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and PGCE for graduates and career-changers.
• Facility Hire (Halls, Sports and Grounds) Short-term hire of school halls, sports facilities, classrooms, and outdoor areas to local community groups, sports clubs, and corporate users at published rates.
• Peripatetic Music Lessons Fee-based individual and small-group instrumental and vocal music tuition delivered by visiting specialist peripatetic teachers to pupils.

Quantifiable outcome

• Progress 8 score of 0.62 - pupils make significantly more progress than average
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Bay Learning TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017Multi-academy trust established by Ripley St Thomas in 2017. Company limited by guarantee (number 07588464). Trust oversees financial performance and governance while school maintains operational autonomy with delegated running to Governing Body.
• Future FirstsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational education charity specializing in alumni engagement. Partnership enables Ripley to stay connected with former students who can contribute as career role models, mentors, work experience providers, or through donations.
• Churches Together in EnglandsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcumenical church body enabling school to connect with local churches for collective worship, end of term services, and Christian community engagement.
• Free Churches GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Free Churches Group for faith-based community connections supporting school's Christian ethos.
• Evangelical AlliancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Evangelical Alliance for church community connections supporting school's Christian foundation.
• NW Partnership (Northwest Gospel Partnership)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional gospel partnership supporting Christian education and church-school relationships.
• Firefly LearningcoreTechnology or IntegrationFirefly provides cloud-based Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) enabling teachers and pupils to share resources, assignments, and communicate online. Platform supports homework, flipped learning, and remote access.
• ParentPaycoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline payment system enabling parents to pay for meals, trips, and other school services securely.
• Papyrus (HOPELINE UK)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerYouth suicide prevention charity providing Hopeline 24/7 confidential helpline for young people thinking about suicide or feeling unsafe.
• Lancashire MindsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent mental health charity providing wellbeing coaching, therapeutic services, and support for individuals in Lancashire.
• The MixsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree confidential support service for young people offering counselling, support groups, community boards, and self-help tools.
• ChildlinesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerConfidential helpline for under-19s in UK providing support for any issue, big or small.
• NSPCCsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK's leading children's charity working to protect children and prevent abuse, with statutory powers to take action when child is at risk.
• CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw enforcement agency helping keep children safe from online sexual abuse and grooming.
• Cruse Bereavement CaresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBereavement support, information and campaigning organization helping people through difficult times.
• StonewallsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQ+ rights organization providing resources, tools and information to promote inclusion and champion equality.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: Large UK multi-academy trust operating both faith-based and secular schools across the country. A scaled incumbent comparable to the broader operating model Ripley could pursue via Bay Learning Trust expansion.
• ARK: Large multi-academy trust operating schools and teacher training programmes nationally. Comparable as a scaled education operator combining school sponsorship with teacher development pipelines similar to Ripley's SCITT.
• Harris Federation: Major UK multi-academy trust running dozens of primary and secondary academies, predominantly in London and the South East. Comparable as a scaled sponsor of academies with strong academic outcomes.

Direct peers

• Suffolk and Norfolk SCITT: School-Centred Initial Teacher Training provider offering primary and secondary routes, including apprenticeship pathways. Direct comparable to Ripley ITT/SCITT as a regional teacher training provider.
• Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School: Catholic Voluntary-Aided secondary school in London rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with similar faith-based ethos, comparable scale, and academic excellence. Operates a parallel model to Ripley as a state-funded faith academy with strong parental demand.
• Hills Road Sixth Form College: State-funded sixth form college in Cambridge of comparable size (~1,800+ students) offering A-Level programmes. Comparable to Ripley's Sixth Form in scale, academic focus, and post-16 specialism.
• Trinity School (Croydon): Church of England secondary school in Croydon with comparable faith-based ethos and Outstanding Ofsted rating. Closely mirrors Ripley's model as a high-performing C of E academy with co-curricular breadth.
• The London Oratory School: Catholic Voluntary-Aided Outstanding secondary school in London with comparable faith-based admissions, strong academic results, and similar sixth-form provision. Closely mirrors Ripley's positioning as a high-performing, faith-anchored state academy.
• Nottingham High School: Long-established endowed independent school in the East Midlands with heritage dating back centuries and a similar ethos of academic excellence plus pastoral breadth. Comparable to Ripley in heritage positioning and educational model, though independent rather than state-funded.
• Loughborough Endowed Schools: Endowed foundation schools in Loughborough tracing heritage to similar Victorian-era charitable foundations. Comparable to Ripley in endowment origin story and enduring community focus, though split across primary and grammar streams.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ripleystthomas
• Facebookfacebook.com/ripleystthomas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ripleystthomas
• Instagraminstagram.com/ripley_alumni

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Ripley St Thomas