What Academies Enterprise Trust does

Academies Enterprise Trust, now operating under the brand Lift Schools, is the largest multi-academy trust sponsor in the United Kingdom. Founded in 2008 and headquartered at EdCity in London, the trust operates a network of 59 schools distributed across England and employs more than 10,000 staff. It serves primary and secondary school students as its core constituency, with additional reach into educators through its Initial Teacher Training (ITT) program, an Apprenticeships offering, and Project H, a knowledge-sharing initiative designed to improve education both within and beyond the trust.

The organization's core offering is the operation of state-funded academies rather than a software or technology product portfolio. Underlying service components include a shared educational framework organized around six 'Lift maxims,' a governance structure comprising a Board of Trustees and academy councils, and a community-led growth motion that recruits schools to join the network via the 'Become a Lift school' program. No proprietary technology platform is described in the source material; the digital footprint consists of a marketing website (liftschools.org), active social media presence on Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, and a careers portal.

Lift Schools is funded through UK government education budgets via the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), with revenue derived from per-pupil funding allocations determined by the UK government. The trust does not charge tuition or fees to students. As an academy trust, it operates as an independent charitable company governed by a Board of Trustees, with no venture capital, private equity, or public ownership structures indicated. The geographic footprint is restricted to England, with no international operations disclosed.

Name

Academies Enterprise Trust

Legal name

Lift Schools

Website

https://academiesenterprisetrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Academies Enterprise Trust, trading as Lift Schools, is the UK's largest multi-academy trust sponsor, operating 59 state-funded schools across England and serving primary and secondary students, with a workforce of over 10,000 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: As a network of state-funded academies in England, Lift Schools receives government funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to provide free education to students. Revenue is derived from per-pupil funding allocations determined by the UK government.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Academies Enterprise Trust (trading as Lift Schools) operates a network of 59 state-funded primary and secondary academies across England, delivering free education to pupils alongside structured programs including Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Apprenticeships, Key Stage 3 engagement initiatives, and Project H, a knowledge-sharing program that disseminates educational expertise across the trust and beyond.

Product overview

Lift Schools is an education trust operating as a unified network of 59 schools across England. Rather than offering a software product portfolio, the organization provides educational programs and services including Key Stage 3 engagement initiatives, Project H (a knowledge-sharing program), Initial Teacher Training (ITT), and Apprenticeships. These programs work together under the trust's shared mission and values framework to deliver consistent educational outcomes across all member schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• State-Funded Primary and Secondary Education

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• E-ACT: National multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies across multiple regions of England. Comparable governance structure, funding model, and school network expansion strategy.
• Northern Education Trust: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools in the north of England, growing via school conversions. Comparable funding model and pupil-segment focus.
• Ark Schools: UK multi-academy trust running a network of non-selective state schools, including primary and secondary. Operates its own initial teacher training program, closely mirroring Lift Schools' ITT and apprenticeship offerings.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large UK multi-academy trust running a network of state-funded schools across England with a similar community-led ethos and centralized support structure. Highly comparable operating model and pupil base to Lift Schools.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: Primary-focused multi-academy trust operating a network of state-funded schools across England. Comparable as a regional-scale MAT relying on per-pupil ESFA funding.
• Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools in England, growing through school conversion. Comparable in size, geography, and the network expansion playbook.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a comparable portfolio of state-funded primary and secondary schools across England. Similar scale and expansion-via-conversion model.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest MATs in England operating primary and secondary academies with a strong focus on academic outcomes and teacher training. Comparable scale and per-pupil funding model.
• United Learning: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in England, operating a comparable network of state-funded primary and secondary schools. Directly comparable to Lift Schools on funding model, governance structure, and the strategy of growing via school conversions.

Regional players

• Academies South West / Education South West: Regional multi-academy trust operating state-funded schools in the south-west of England. Smaller scale than Lift Schools but operates under the same ESFA funding regime with a comparable network-based model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/careersaet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/academies-enterprise-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Academies Enterprise Trust