The Mercian Trust

What The Mercian Trust does

The Mercian Trust is a Multi Academy Trust (charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales) operating twelve schools across Walsall and Sandwell in the West Midlands, serving more than 10,000 children and young people aged 3-19. The portfolio spans the full educational phase: two selective grammar schools (Queen Mary's Grammar School, founded 1554, and Queen Mary's High School), five comprehensive secondary schools (Aldridge School, three Q3 Academies, Shire Oak Academy), one primary school (Rushall), one all-through special school for complex SEND (Oakwood School, 238 places), one vocational Studio School (Walsall Studio School & Sixth), and two alternative provision schools (The Ladder School, New Leaf School). The Trust self-describes its portfolio as the most diverse family of schools in the country, unified by a social mobility and social justice mission.

The underlying technology stack is a shared Microsoft digital environment deployed across all schools, complemented by a purpose-built Digital Skills Hub in Walsall Town Centre that provides real-time connectivity between students, industry professionals and employers. A distinctive in-house multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and allied health professionals delivers therapeutic interventions that reduced clinical assessment waiting times from nearly 12 months to 2 weeks. The Trust maintains a co-production research partnership with the University of Birmingham across student-led research, leadership development, and SEND/inclusion policy, and the CEO chairs the Microsoft UK Education Leadership Steering Group (2022-2025).

The business model is entirely government-funded: per-pupil funding, Pupil Premium, 16-19 Bursary and SEND funding flow from the UK Department for Education to the Trust, with no tuition fees charged. Shared professional services (finance, HR, estates, IT, governance, quality assurance) operate across the school family to capture scale economics, and a facilities-hire channel (schoolhire.schoolhire.co.uk) generates ancillary commercial income. Distribution is direct via school operations; the GTM motion is community-led and event-driven, anchored by regional conferences (Youth Suicide 2023, Youth Violence 2024 at Villa Park), the 'Equity in Action' podcast, and the Mercian CPD YouTube channel.

Name

The Mercian Trust

Legal name

The Mercian Trust

Website

https://merciantrust.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Mercian Trust is a UK Multi Academy Trust operating twelve schools across Walsall and Sandwell, serving over 10,000 students aged 3-19 through selective grammar, comprehensive, primary, SEND, vocational and alternative provision phases, funded by government per-pupil grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi Academy Trust (K-12 Education)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

IEP/504 Planning, Case Management & Compliance (EDAJAKAB), Wraparound Student Support & Case Management Services (At-Risk K–12) (EDAJAEAJ), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping (State/National) (EDAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Multi academy trust
• Primary education
• Secondary education
• Special education
• Alternative provision

Headquarters

HQ city

Walsall

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: State-funded education through UK government funding for academy trusts. Schools receive per-pupil funding and additional grants for specific purposes including Pupil Premium for disadvantaged students, 16-19 Bursary Fund, and SEND funding.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Mercian Trust is a Multi Academy Trust that directly operates twelve schools in Walsall and Sandwell delivering full-time education to over 10,000 students aged 3-19, spanning selective grammar, comprehensive secondary, primary, special educational needs, vocational, and alternative provision phases. It supplements classroom teaching with shared digital infrastructure, a Digital Skills Hub linking students to employers, and an in-house clinical team delivering therapeutic interventions.

Product overview

The Mercian Trust is a Multi Academy Trust operating twelve schools in Walsall and Sandwell serving over 10,000 students. The portfolio comprises two selective grammar schools (Queen Mary's Grammar School and Queen Mary's High School), five comprehensive secondary schools (Aldridge School, Q3 Academy Great Barr, Q3 Academy Langley, Q3 Academy Tipton, Shire Oak Academy), one primary school (Rushall Primary School), one all-through special school (Oakwood School), one technical and vocational Studio School (Walsall Studio School & Sixth), and two Alternative Provision schools (New Leaf School, The Ladder School). The Trust also operates a Digital Skills Hub that provides connectivity between students, industry professionals and employers. All schools share a common social mobility and social justice mission focused on increasing opportunities and improving outcomes for students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aldridge School A comprehensive secondary school within The Mercian Trust that aims to ensure every young person achieves their potential through challenging education and diverse opportunities to develop unique talents and interests.
• New Leaf School An alternative provision school providing personalised learning with the goal of securing successful reintegration or transition into appropriate educational provision for students at risk of exclusion.
• Oakwood School A specialist provision for children aged 3-14 years with complex educational needs, commissioned for 238 places, providing a safe, stimulating and nurturing learning environment.
• Q3 Academy Great Barr A secondary academy focused on student wellbeing and academic ambition, with an educational philosophy centred on making children feel happy and excited about learning.
• Q3 Academy Langley A secondary academy serving the Oldbury area with a unique timetabling model providing a broad curriculum with knowledge at its heart.
• Q3 Academy Tipton A comprehensive secondary academy with values of kindness, ambition, resilience and respect, offering a broad and challenging curriculum alongside extra-curricular opportunities.
• Queen Mary's Grammar School An academically selective grammar school for boys, rated outstanding by Ofsted in 2023, with focus on academic potential and life-enriching opportunities including a Field Centre in Wales, Combined Cadet Force, and foreign exchanges.
• Queen Mary's High School An 11-18 selective grammar school for girls in Years 7-11, co-educational in Sixth Form, with over 125 years of history and consistently excellent GCSE and A Level outcomes.
• Rushall Primary School A primary school providing a safe and nurturing learning environment with structured and innovative approaches to ensure optimum progression for children.
• Shire Oak Academy A vibrant learning community with the motto 'Turning Potential into Excellence', providing an outstanding positive learning environment with a strong academic focus and inclusive ethos.
• The Ladder School An Alternative Provision Free School offering second chances with a range of GCSE and vocational courses, purpose-built facilities, and a small bespoke Sixth Form for re-sitting English and maths GCSE.
• Walsall Studio School & Sixth A 14-19 vocational school specialising in Performing Arts, Music and Content Creation industries, committed to vocational excellence and academic rigour.
• Digital Skills Hub A purpose-built facility in Walsall Town Centre providing real-time connectivity between students, industry professionals and employers, underpinning digital transformation across Trust schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multi-disciplinary team reduced clinical assessment waiting times from 12 months to 2 weeks
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Villa ParkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Venue partner for regional conferences organised by the Trust. Hosted the region's first Youth Suicide Conference (2023) and Youth Violence Conference (2024) at Villa Park.
• University of BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA unique, in-depth partnership for educational equity and social justice based in co-produced teaching and research. Three projects currently in-flight: student-led research across diverse family of schools; leadership development programme; and SEND/inclusion policy development. The pioneering spirit and shared social values of both organisations underpin this official partnership.
• Microsoft UK Education Leadership Steering GroupflagshipTechnology or IntegrationCEO Dan Parkes chairs the Microsoft UK Education Leadership Steering Group (2022-2025). This partnership provides access to cutting-edge technology, digital transformation expertise, and industry leadership in education technology. Builds on Dan's track record of embedding technology-enabled learning.
• Queen Mary's FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate Member of The Mercian Trust. Functions similarly to shareholders, responsible for appointing and removing Trustees and holding the Executive Team to account. Appoints two further Members alongside the Vine Trust Group.
• The Vine Trust Group, WalsallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate Member of The Mercian Trust alongside Queen Mary's Foundation. Appointed as one of the Members responsible for governance oversight, appointing Trustees, and holding Executive Team accountable for successful operation of the Trust.
• West Midlands Mayor's Council of ExpertsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Dan Parkes is a member of the West Midlands Mayor's Council of Experts and WMCA Jobs for Everyone taskforce (2024-current). Provides system leadership working cross-sector with strategic leaders on place-based solutions.
• Sandwell Together Partnership BoardflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Dan Parkes is a member of the Sandwell Together Partnership Board (2025-current), working on cross-sector collaboration in the region.
• Priority Education Investment Areas (Walsall and Sandwell)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey member of steering groups for Priority Education Investment Areas of Walsall and Sandwell. The Trust is deeply rooted in these communities which are the education investment areas of the West Midlands.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bright Futures Educational Trust: Bright Futures Educational Trust is a West Midlands-based Multi Academy Trust of comparable size and mixed-phase portfolio. Like Mercian, it operates a federation of primary and secondary schools in the Black Country area and shares a place-based social-mission orientation, making it one of the most directly comparable regional MATs.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Academy Transformation Trust is a UK MAT of comparable scale running a mixed-phase portfolio across multiple regions. Like Mercian, it has grown via school acquisitions and emphasises alternative provision alongside mainstream education.
• Reach Academy Trust: Reach Academy Trust is a UK Multi Academy Trust operating a comparable mix of primary and secondary schools with a focus on equity and inclusion. Its size and operating model closely parallel Mercian's, and both pursue community-embedded education delivery rather than pure academic selectivity.
• Dixons Academies Trust: Dixons Academies Trust is a medium-sized MAT known for strong social-mobility outcomes and a multi-phase portfolio similar to Mercian's. Both trusts centre their narratives on disadvantaged-student progression to top universities and use Ofsted outcomes as competitive positioning.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Greenwood Academies Trust operates a similar number of schools across the East Midlands with comparable phase diversity and a similar focus on improving outcomes in disadvantaged communities. Both trusts pursue regional consolidation strategies with shared back-office functions.

Broad incumbents

• Star Academies: Star Academies is a large national MAT operating both mainstream and faith-sponsored schools with a strong focus on social mobility and disadvantaged communities. It is a comparable incumbent to Mercian in mission and target demographics, though operating at significantly greater national scale.
• Harris Federation: Harris Federation is one of the largest and highest-performing MATs in the UK with selective and non-selective schools across London and beyond. As a broad incumbent it competes for inbound schools, sector talent, and policy influence that Mercian also targets, and demonstrates the upper end of MAT scale and reputation.
• Ark (formerly Absolute Return for Kids): Ark is a large national education charity running a portfolio of MAT schools and programmes with a strong equity and social-mobility mission similar to Mercian's. While far larger and broader in scope, it represents an incumbent peer for the same mission-driven UK MAT market.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: Ormiston Academies Trust is one of the UK's largest MATs operating dozens of schools nationally. While much larger and broader in scope than Mercian, it competes in the same UK academy trust market and offers an overlapping mix of primary, secondary, and alternative provision schools, serving as a benchmark for scale and shared-service operating models.
• United Learning: United Learning is one of the UK's largest MATs with a mixed-state-and-independent school portfolio including selective and non-selective phases. As a broad incumbent it shares Mercian's commitment to a multi-phase family-of-schools model and represents the scale ceiling against which growing regional MATs benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheMercianTrust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MercianTrustCPD/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-mercian-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries12 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 The Mercian Trust