Valley Park School

What Valley Park School does

Valley Park School is a state-funded secondary academy operating in Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom, serving students from Year 7 through Year 13 (including a Sixth Form). The school is part of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT), a Multi-Academy Trust that includes multiple primary feeder schools (VIPS at Aylesford, East Borough, Holborough Lakes, Kings Hill, Leybourne Chase), Invicta Grammar School, and The Lenham School. Leadership comprises Executive Headteacher Mrs K Gunn, Headteacher Mr D Jones, and SENDCo Ms K Bayman (AHT). The school delivers a comprehensive secondary curriculum leading to GCSEs, A-Levels, and BTEC vocational qualifications including Sport, Performing Arts, Production Arts, Music, Health & Social Care, Business, IT, and Engineering.

The school's core technology stack is standard educational infrastructure: Office 365 email, a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), EduLink One parent/student portal, myEVOLVE for payments and records, and the Access It library system. Career guidance is supported through partnerships with Unifrog (work experience administration), Speakers for Schools, Springpod, OpenLearn, and FutureLearn. The school is distinguished by a well-established performing arts programme featuring annual major productions and an RSC Associate Schools partnership with Marlowe Theatre.

The business model is a state-funded academy model: the school receives government per-pupil funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency and does not charge tuition fees. Ancillary revenue is generated through facility lettings via the schoolhire.co.uk platform. Go-to-market is community-led, with recruitment primarily through the VIAT primary school feeder network (Year 5 ARK Workshops, Year 5 Open Morning Tours, Year 6 Transition programmes) and word-of-mouth referrals. The customer base is diffuse — students and families in the Maidstone catchment area — and the school is not independently owned but operates under VIAT governance.

Name

Valley Park School

Legal name

Valley Park School

Website

https://valleypark.viat.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Valley Park School is a state-funded UK secondary academy in Maidstone, Kent, serving students in Years 7–13. Operating under the Valley Invicta Academies Trust, it delivers GCSEs, A-Levels, and BTEC qualifications, with a notable performing arts programme and careers provision.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• GCSE programmes
• A-Level courses
• BTEC qualifications
• Sixth form education

Headquarters

HQ city

Maidstone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: State-funded academy receiving government per-pupil funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Part of Valley Invicta Academies Trust.
2. Facility Lettings: School hire of facilities to external organizations and community groups through schoolhire.co.uk platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Valley Park School is a state-funded secondary academy in Maidstone, Kent, delivering comprehensive education for students aged 11-18 (Years 7-13). The school offers GCSE-level curriculum for Years 7-11, a Sixth Form (Years 12-13) with A-Level and BTEC qualifications, and a wide extracurricular programme including an annual major theatrical production, instrumental music lessons, sports, and careers guidance. It operates as part of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIAT), a Multi-Academy Trust, and does not charge tuition fees.

Product overview

Valley Park School is a secondary school in Maidstone, Kent, operating as part of the Valley Invicta Academies Trust. The school offers a comprehensive educational program spanning Years 7-13, comprising a core secondary curriculum for Years 7-11 leading to GCSE qualifications, a Sixth Form provision offering A-Level and BTEC courses, and an extensive extracurricular programme including Valley Park Productions (theatrical productions), VP+ clubs, instrumental lessons, and a sports programme. The Futures Programme provides careers education and guidance across all year groups. The school is led by Executive Headteacher Mrs K Gunn and Headteacher Mr D Jones.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary School Education (Years 7-11) Comprehensive secondary school education programme for students in Years 7 through 11, covering core curriculum subjects including GCSE-level coursework in English, Mathematics, Sciences, Humanities, Languages, and Creative Arts. Targeted at students aged 11-16 in the Maidstone catchment area.
• Sixth Form (Years 12-13) Post-16 education programme offering A-Level and BTEC qualifications. Courses include Art & Design, Computer Science, English Literature, Geography, Graphic Communication, History, Mathematics, Philosophy & Ethics, Photography, Politics, Psychology, Textiles, Applied Law, Applied Science, Medical Science, Business, Engineering, Esports, Food Science & Nutrition, Health & Social Care, Information Technology, Music, Performing Arts (Foundation/Extended), Production Arts, and Sport (Extended Certificate/Diploma). Targeted at students aged 16-18.
• Valley Park Productions School theatre and performing arts programme producing major musical productions annually. Past productions include CATS, Oh What a Lovely War, Zorro (UK amateur premiere), Betty Blue Eyes, Evita, Spamalot, Ghost the Musical, Sweeney Todd, School of Rock, The Addams Family, Sunset Boulevard, Our House, Legally Blonde, Grease, Sister Act, and We Will Rock You. Provides technical theatre education and performance opportunities for students.
• VP+ (Clubs) After-school clubs and extracurricular activities programme offering students opportunities to develop interests and skills beyond the classroom curriculum.
• The Futures Programme Careers education and guidance programme including Future Journey Maps, Future Passports, and structured career planning. Supports students from Year 7 through Sixth Form with information on further education, higher education, apprenticeships, gap years, and employment.
• Instrumental Lessons Performing arts enrichment programme offering individual and group music tuition for various instruments, supporting students interested in developing musical skills alongside their academic studies.
• Sports Programme Physical education and competitive sports programme offering students opportunities to participate in various sports activities and represent the school in inter-school competitions.

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

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UnifrogcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Online platform used for administration and authorization of student work experience placements. Students use Unifrog to find and manage work experience opportunities.
• Marlowe TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024RSC Associate Schools programme partnership with Marlowe Theatre. Students worked with theatre on Hamlet production, presenting at Marlowe Theatre as part of Arts Week 2024.
• Speakers for SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual work experience opportunities provider. School signposts students to virtual work experience programmes offered by Speakers for Schools.
• SpringpodminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirtual work experience opportunities provider. School signposts students to virtual work experience programmes offered by Springpod.
• Valley Invicta Primary SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of primary schools within Valley Invicta Academies Trust (VIPS at Aylesford, East Borough, Holborough Lakes, Kings Hill, Leybourne Chase). Collaborative arts events including Night at the Musicals where primary students perform alongside Valley Park students.
• OpenLearnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree online course provider recommended by school for students to enhance employability skills through free online courses.
• FutureLearnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree online course provider recommended by school for students to enhance employability skills through free online courses.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SST Maidstone: Selective satellite school within VIAT, also serving Maidstone families. Shares trust governance and feeder pipeline with Valley Park and competes for the same post-16 student body.
• The Lenham School: Another secondary academy within Valley Invicta Academies Trust. Serves a Kent catchment with overlapping curriculum and trust-level operations, making it a directly comparable academy peer for benchmarking.
• Cornwallis Academy: Secondary academy in Maidstone, Kent. Comparable as a non-selective state secondary competitor operating in the same local authority and overlapping catchment area.
• Maidstone Grammar School: Long-established selective boys' grammar school in Maidstone, Kent. Directly competes for academically able students in the same Maidstone catchment and provides a benchmark for secondary attainment outcomes.
• Invicta Grammar School: Sister school within the same Valley Invicta Academies Trust, located in Maidstone. A selective grammar school sharing the same trust governance, catchment area, and feeder primary schools — the most direct comparable for student demographics and operational setup.
• Oakwood Park Grammar School: Selective grammar school serving the Maidstone area. Comparable as a regional grammar competitor vying for the same high-attaining cohort of Kent students.

Regional players

• VIPS at Kings Hill: One of Valley Park's primary feeder schools within the VIAT network in Kent. Comparable as part of the same trust ecosystem feeding Year 7 enrollment, though operating at primary rather than secondary level.

Broad incumbents

• New Line Learning Academy Trust: Kent-based multi-academy trust operating several secondary and primary schools. Comparable at the trust level for shared-service operating model, though a larger and more established academy operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Valley Park School