Three Spires Trust

What Three Spires Trust does

Three Spires Trust is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust (MAT) registered in England and Wales as a charitable company limited by guarantee (Company No. 13153266), headquartered in Stafford. Founded in 2021, it operates six wholly-owned academies across Staffordshire and the West Midlands, spanning both primary and secondary phases, and serves as the governance and shared-services umbrella for schools within the Diocese of Lichfield. The trust explicitly welcomes schools of all faiths and none and accepts all Ofsted judgments, positioning itself as a broad-access diocesan MAT rather than a turn-around specialist.

Its core product surface is educational delivery through its academies, underpinned by the proprietary NextGen Curriculum framework that integrates AI literacy from age six alongside academic, vocational, and character education. Adjacent product lines include the Appropriate Provision initiative for students with additional needs, Outdoor Education and Bushcraft with the National Outdoor Learning Award, Forest Schools, and the Network Meetings programme (Oracy, Financial Literacy, AI, Careers) supported by a digital-passport progression mechanism. In September 2024 the trust extended into teacher training through the Three Spires Institute of Education, delivering a School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme in partnership with Teach First and Sheffield Hallam University, leading to QTS and a PGCE with master's-level credits.

The revenue model is a single-stream government-funding structure: the trust receives per-pupil funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and local authorities, with no fees charged to families. The SCITT programme adds a small, incremental ITT-funded line. There is no commercial pricing model and no disclosed private revenue. The trust's growth motion is effectively a school-acquisition model: prospective academies enter through a formal consultation and governance process via the 'Join TST' pathway, supported by Business Breakfast events and open evenings targeted at prospective school leaders and community partners.

Name

Three Spires Trust

Legal name

Three Spires Trust

Website

https://threespirestrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Three Spires Trust is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust operating six primary and secondary academies across Staffordshire and the West Midlands, funded by ESFA grants, and delivering a proprietary NextGen Curriculum with embedded AI literacy alongside a SCITT teacher-training programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: Three Spires Trust receives funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and local authorities for educating students across its academies. This is the primary revenue source for all academies within the MAT structure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Three Spires Trust is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust that operates six primary and secondary academies delivering state-funded education across Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Beyond school-level education, the trust runs the Institute of Education, which delivers the School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme in partnership with Teach First and Sheffield Hallam University, awarding QTS and PGCE qualifications. The trust also develops its proprietary NextGen Curriculum framework integrating AI literacy and digital skills.

Product overview

Three Spires Trust is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust offering a unified educational platform across multiple academies. The core offerings include the Institute of Education delivering School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) with PGCE qualifications, and the NextGen Curriculum framework integrating AI literacy and digital skills. Additional specialized programs include the Appropriate Provision for students with unique challenges, Outdoor Education & Bushcraft curriculum, and Forest Schools outdoor learning. The Trust operates Inspire Magazine as its communication platform and provides network meetings covering oracy, financial literacy, and careers education across its academy network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy A primary academy within Three Spires Trust with a strong reading focus, library revamp, and SQUIRT reading program, providing EYFS through Key Stage 2 education.
• St Giles' and St George's CofE Academy A primary academy within Three Spires Trust with an oracy curriculum focus and integration of Forest Schools, providing EYFS through Key Stage 2 education.
• The King's Church of England Academy, Kidsgrove A secondary academy within Three Spires Trust with a STEAM focus and digital skills development, providing Key Stage 3, 4, and 5 education.
• St Regis CE Academy A secondary academy within Three Spires Trust featuring outdoor education, the Appropriate Provision programme for students facing unique challenges, and Basketball Academy programmes. Rated Good by Ofsted and Excellent by SIAMS.
• St Peter's Collegiate Academy A secondary academy within Three Spires Trust with a music programme partnered with St Peter's Collegiate Church, with the choir performing at St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Rated Good by Ofsted.
• Hanley St Luke's CE Academy An academy within Three Spires Trust with a STEAM focus and innovative curriculum approach.
• School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) A teacher training programme delivered by the Three Spires Institute of Education in partnership with Teach First and Sheffield Hallam University. The programme includes Primary Education Training and Secondary Education Training tracks and leads to QTS and a PGCE with master's level credits, available to aspiring teachers applying via the UK government teacher training portal.
• NextGen Curriculum A forward-thinking curriculum framework developed by Three Spires Trust that prepares students for the world shaped by digital infrastructure and intelligent systems, integrating AI literacy components beginning at primary level alongside academic, technical, and vocational education.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Teach FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Collaborative partnership for delivering School-Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) program. The institute delivers teacher training in partnership with Teach First, leading to Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with master's level credits.
• Sheffield Hallam UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024University partner providing academic accreditation for the SCITT teacher training program. The partnership enables trainees to earn a PGCE with master's level credits.
• Alpha Academies TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership developed the Six Gateways model across Three Spires Trust. This career readiness framework helps students understand opportunities, skills required by different sectors, and connections between learning and life beyond school.
• Potteries Educational TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of the Six Gateways career education model, helping young people navigate future pathways and understand local industry opportunities.
• Edge FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree Spires Trust's Aimee Williams contributed evidence to Edge Foundation's inquiry on educational experiences of white working-class pupils. The partnership supports policy research on aspiration barriers in post-industrial communities.
• Staffordshire Council of Voluntary Youth ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to deliver VR experience sessions on serious topics including gang culture for PSHE curriculum, led at St Thomas' C of E Primary Academy.
• St Peter's Collegiate ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with St Peter's Collegiate Church for music education. Around twenty students actively participate in the church choir, which has performed at St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. Several staff, governors, and former governors support the choir.
• Diocese of LichfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch of England diocese relationship providing the foundation for the MAT's Christian educational mission. The trust serves schools within this diocese.
• National Society For EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization leading Church of England's work in education, supporting thousands of schools. Three Spires Trust is connected through shared Church of England educational mission.
• Debate MateminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust participated in Debate Mate Showcase event, with students from multiple academies taking part in debates hosted by Potteries Educational Trust and City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: Large UK MAT running primary and secondary academies, particularly in London and the South East. Comparable as a multi-academy trust, but with significantly greater scale and a longer operating track record than Three Spires Trust.
• ARK Schools: Major UK MAT operating academies across England with a strong focus on curriculum design and innovation. Comparable to Three Spires Trust as a MAT that invests in proprietary curriculum frameworks and runs central support functions across multiple schools.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large UK MAT running primary and secondary academies nationally. Comparable in operating model (multi-academy trust running state-funded schools with a values-based ethos) but substantially larger and more geographically diversified than Three Spires Trust.
• United Learning: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, operating both state-funded and independent schools including Church of England schools. Comparable to Three Spires Trust as a multi-academy trust with a faith-affiliated heritage and broad K–12 coverage, but at materially greater scale.
• Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT): UK MAT operating a network of primary and secondary academies, including faith schools. Comparable as a multi-academy trust of broadly similar size, sharing a similar GTM motion of integrating schools into a central trust structure.
• E-ACT: Large UK MAT running academies across multiple regions. Comparable as a multi-academy trust at materially greater scale, with a similar growth-by-acquisition operating model.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: National MAT of primary schools with a strong teacher-training and curriculum focus. Comparable in its emphasis on primary education, central curriculum design, and teacher development — overlapping with Three Spires Trust's NextGen Curriculum and SCITT focus.

Direct peers

• Potteries Educational Trust: Regional education trust based in the Stoke-on-Trent / Staffordshire area that co-developed the Six Gateways model with Three Spires Trust. Directly comparable in geography, scale, and curriculum collaboration, and a confirmed operating partner.
• Alpha Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating schools in the Stoke-on-Trent / Staffordshire area that co-developed the Six Gateways careers framework with Three Spires Trust. Closest regional peer in both geography and curriculum partnership.
• Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust: Church of England diocesan MAT operating schools in the West Midlands region, directly adjacent to Three Spires Trust's operating geography. Most directly comparable peer as a regional CofE MAT competing for the same pool of schools and pupils.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/3SpiresTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/three-spires-trust
• Xx.com/3spirestrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Three Spires Trust