What Marling School does

Marling School is a selective, non-fee paying grammar school located on Cainscross Road in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. It serves boys aged 11-16 (Years 7-11) and operates a co-educational Sixth Form for ages 16-18 (Years 12-13). The school is an academy within the Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust (CBAT), which it joined in September 2016, and operates under a government funding model based on per-pupil allocations with additional grants for Pupil Premium, 16 to 19 tuition, and catch-up programmes. The school provides no commercial technology products; its "products" are the educational services themselves, supported by a main website, a separate Marling Sixth Form website, and the Marling Library Online portal. Admission is selective, gated by the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test taken in Year 6, with supplementary open events and open mornings as the primary recruitment touchpoints.

The school's differentiators centre on its selective intake, academic outcomes (Attainment 8 score of 73.86 and 98% strong pass rate in English and maths at KS4), and broad extracurricular infrastructure including Duke of Edinburgh at Bronze/Silver/Gold, five-house Learning Communities, and 50+ annual trips and events. Revenue is derived from government per-pupil funding and grants; there is no tuition fee and no commercial monetisation. The school is led by Principal Peter Knight (appointed January 2026) within the CBAT governance structure, with Trust CEO/Acting Principal Duncan Cook serving across the trust. The customer base is bounded by geographic catchment and entrance test performance, with active parent communication via weekly e-newsletters, Instagram, and a Parent Staff Association.

Name

Marling School

Legal name

Marling School

Website

https://marling.school

Company type

Private

Founded year

1925

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Marling School is a selective, non-fee paying grammar school in Stroud, Gloucestershire, serving boys aged 11-16 with a co-educational Sixth Form, operated as an academy within the Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stroud

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As an academy, Marling School receives government funding based on per-pupil funding formula. Additional revenue streams include government grants for specific programs such as Pupil Premium, 16 to 19 Tuition Fund, andCatch-up Premium.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Marling School is a non-fee paying selective grammar school for boys aged 11-16, with a co-educational Sixth Form for ages 16-18, delivering GCSE and A-Level education in Stroud, Gloucestershire. It operates as an academy within the Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust (CBAT), funded by government per-pupil allocations and additional grants such as Pupil Premium. The school combines a broad academic curriculum with a structured personal development programme including Duke of Edinburgh Awards, CEIAG careers education, and extensive extracurricular trips.

Product overview

Marling School is a grammar school institution offering educational products and services. The primary product is the school itself, providing academic education for Years 7-13 with a co-educational Sixth Form. The school's digital presence includes the main Marling School Website for institutional information and a separate Marling Sixth Form Website for post-16 provision. Supporting services include the Marling Library Online for resource access. No commercial technology products or SaaS offerings are provided.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marling Sixth Form: Separate co-educational sixth form provision operating as a distinct section of Marling School, with its own dedicated website at marlingsixthform.org

Products and services

• Marling Grammar School Education (Years 7-11) Selective grammar school education for boys aged 11-16, covering Key Stage 3 and GCSE qualifications including preparation for English Baccalaureate subjects. Admission is via the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools Entrance Test. The school reports an Attainment 8 score of 73.86 and a 98% strong pass rate in English and maths at KS4.
• Marling Sixth Form Education (Years 12-13) Co-educational Sixth Form provision for students aged 16-18 delivering a wide range of A-Level qualifications, alongside PSHE/RSE, careers education (CEIAG) aligned with Gatsby Benchmarks, and preparation for university entry.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lift SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025CBAT trustees have identified Lift Schools as the preferred future partner for a potential merger. Lift Schools is a well-established national trust supporting 57 schools across primary, secondary and special education sectors, including several in Gloucestershire. The partnership would offer school improvement and support services along with opportunities for staff development and best practice sharing.
• Atom LearningminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Atom Learning, the leading online 11+ preparation and Key Stage 2 learning platform, to provide free 11+ preparation and KS2 learning resources for Pupil Premium eligible students. Students receive free access to Atom Home when their Pupil Premium status is verified.
• GFirstLEPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCareers Advisor and Enterprise Coordinator from GFirstLEP work closely with the school's Careers Leader to support the CEIAG programme. Uses Compass+ data for career monitoring.
• Duke of Edinburgh's AwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarling School is a licensed organisation with the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme and offers the award at Bronze, Silver and Gold levels. The award aims to stimulate enthusiasm and energies of young people through a challenging programme of activities leading to personal development.
• Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust (CBAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarling School is a member of Cotswold Beacon Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust that also includes Berkeley Primary School, Cam Woodfield Junior School, and Callowell Primary School. The trust is responsible for the school's governance and provides support services.
• Old Marlingtonians' Association (OMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlumni association formed in 1925 that supports the school through fundraising activities and contributions to school resources. Ex-students are invited to give careers talks as part of the tutor time careers programme.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stroud High School: Girls' grammar school located in Stroud, sharing the same town and intake geography as Marling. Operates the same entrance test and is the natural pairing school for families considering selective secondary education in Stroud.
• Ribston Hall High School: Selective girls' grammar school in Gloucester using the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test. Comparable selective secondary model serving the same county-level catchment.
• Pate's Grammar School: Selective co-educational grammar school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, also admitting via the Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test. Operates the same admissions architecture and serves the same Gloucestershire selective market as Marling, making it the closest comparable.
• Denmark Road High School: Selective girls' grammar school in Gloucester sharing the same Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test admissions framework. Comparable selective secondary model and geographic catchment.
• The Crypt School: Selective co-educational grammar school in Gloucester using the same Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test. Direct competitor for selective secondary applicants in the same catchment.
• Sir Thomas Rich's School: Boys' grammar school in Gloucester admitting via the same Gloucestershire Grammar Schools' Entrance Test. Closest demographic and curriculum analogue to Marling in the same county.

Regional players

• Archway School: Secondary school in Stroud serving the same town as Marling. Comparable at the geographic and operational level though non-selective, making it the most relevant local alternative for families choosing not to enter the grammar-school selection process.
• Balcarras School: High-performing non-selective secondary school in Cheltenham. Comparable academic positioning in the Gloucestershire secondary market, though it operates without entrance-test selection.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/marling.school
• Xx.com/MarlingSchool
• Facebookfacebook.com/marlingschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marling-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Marling School