BIG LIFE SCHOOLS
Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust operating two state-funded primary schools with attached nurseries in Manchester (Longsight and Cheetham Hill), delivering National Curriculum education enhanced by bespoke wellbeing and community programmes to local families aged 0-11.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BIG LIFE SCHOOLS does
Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating two state-funded primary schools with attached nurseries in Manchester, United Kingdom: Longsight Community Primary (0-11 model) and Unity Community Primary (2-11 years) in Cheetham Hill. The trust was formally established in 2012 and is a private charitable company registered in England and Wales (company number 07945230), operating as part of The Big Life Group, a larger social enterprise with circa £23m group turnover and 560+ staff across health, wellbeing, children and families, and employment services. The organization delivers the National Curriculum enhanced by a proprietary Big Life Curriculum with bespoke units, supplemented by third-party digital learning platforms (Purple Mash, Read Write Inc., Music Express, Plan Bee, Kapow, Pathways to Writing) and a bespoke Emotional Wellbeing Programme co-developed with Manchester University.
The trust's go-to-market is community-led: it recruits schools to join the MAT through its 'Become a Big Life School' programme while preserving local governing body autonomy. Revenue is derived almost entirely from UK government funding via the General Annual Grant (GAG), with the trust retaining a 6% top-slice for central operations and the balance passing through to schools. Families receive education at no direct cost through Manchester Local Authority admissions. Differentiation is built around community integration, SEND support, Forest Schools outdoor education, and enrichment partnerships with Manchester Active, Manchester Camerata, Manchester University, Save the Children, and Manchester's Premier League football clubs.
Both schools hold Gold UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools status, and recent Ofsted outcomes (Longsight Good in November 2024, Unity Expected Standard in April 2026) position the trust for incremental expansion. Governance is provided by a board of trustees and members with backgrounds spanning education leadership, social enterprise, legal, and public sector finance, while day-to-day school-level coordination is handled by SENDCOs at each site.
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BIG LIFE SCHOOLS
- Legal name
- Big Life Schools
- Website
- https://biglifeschools.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust operating two state-funded primary schools with attached nurseries in Manchester (Longsight and Cheetham Hill), delivering National Curriculum education enhanced by bespoke wellbeing and community programmes to local families aged 0-11.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Primary Education
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours) (EDACACAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL)
Keywords
Where BIG LIFE SCHOOLS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Government Education Funding: Schools receive government funding through the GAG (General Annual Grant) from the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Big Life Schools top slices 6% of GAG funding for central trust operations, excluding targeted funding such as pupil premium or SEND funding.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operates two state-funded primary schools with attached nurseries in Manchester: Longsight Community Primary (0-11 model) and Unity Community Primary (2-11 years). The trust delivers the National Curriculum using a bespoke Big Life Curriculum and provides SEND support, family engagement services, and an Emotional Wellbeing Programme developed with Manchester University. It is funded primarily through the General Annual Grant (GAG) from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, supplemented by partner-funded holiday clubs and community programmes.
Product overview
Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating primary schools in Manchester. The organization manages two primary schools with attached nurseries: Longsight Community Primary (serving children aged 0-11) and Unity Community Primary (serving children aged 2-11). The schools deliver the National Curriculum enhanced by bespoke Big Life Curriculum Plans, with a focus on emotional wellbeing, community engagement, and family support. The organization provides a comprehensive educational offering including early years provision, primary education, extra-curricular activities, and family support services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Longsight Community Primary State-funded primary school with attached nursery serving children aged 0-11 in Longsight, Manchester, as part of the Big Life Schools Multi-Academy Trust. Rated Good in all areas by Ofsted in November 2024 and Gold UNICEF Rights Respecting School.
- Unity Community Primary State-funded primary school with attached nursery serving children aged 2-11 in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, as part of the Big Life Schools Multi-Academy Trust. Achieved Expected Standard in all areas by Ofsted in April 2026 and Gold UNICEF Rights Respecting School.
Quantifiable outcome
- Longsight Community Primary rated Good in all areas by Ofsted in November 2024
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use BIG LIFE SCHOOLS
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Manchester ActivecorePartnership for holiday club provision. Manchester Active funds and supports the provision of Easter and Summer holiday clubs through the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF) programme.
- Holiday Activity Fund (HAF)coreGovernment-funded programme that provides funding for Easter and Summer holiday clubs for children, administered in partnership with Manchester Active.
- Manchester City Football Club (City Stars Lifestyles)minorCity Stars Lifestyles project teaches parents how to make delicious healthy food together with their children.
- Save the ChildrenminorFamilies Connect programme where parents and children learn fun maths and English games together.
- Sports EnglandminorActive Families Club where parents and children have fun together and increase their fitness.
- Manchester CamerataminorProfessional orchestra partnership where children work with Manchester Camerata to create and perform original compositions.
- Manchester UniversitycorePartnership for wellbeing research (bespoke emotional wellbeing programme for children and families developed with Manchester University). Also involved in music education visits to learn about modern and traditional music.
- Bridgewater HallminorConcert venue for experiencing classical and modern music performances.
- Forest Schools PartnerscoreExternal Forest Schools partners provide outdoor education enabling children to learn about the natural world through exploration, learning and play in woodland settings.
- Manchester Premier League Football ClubsminorPartnership with Manchester's Premier League football clubs to encourage children to be active outside school and develop talents at higher levels.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary schools across England, sharing the same GAG-funded revenue model, central trust top-slice structure, and school-conversion growth strategy.
- Oasis Community Learning: UK multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies with a strong values-driven, community-embedded ethos — closely comparable to Big Life Schools' mission-led, neighbourhood-rooted approach.
- Dixons Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools with a strong outcomes-driven ethos; relevant peer for benchmarking GAG-funded MAT operating models and school-conversion strategy.
- REAch2 Academy Trust: The largest primary-focused multi-academy trust in England, operating dozens of primary schools with a centralised back-office and curriculum model — directly comparable to Big Life Schools' MAT structure and GAG-funded economics.
- Academy Transformation Trust: Mid-sized multi-academy trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary schools under a shared back-office and curriculum model — comparable on MAT economics and school-conversion growth pathway.
- Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust running primary and secondary schools in London and other urban areas; comparable on MAT economics, central-curriculum model, and pursuit of high Ofsted grades.
- Reach Academy Feltham: Small, community-embedded primary free school in a disadvantaged urban area with a 0-11 nursery-through-primary model, mirroring Big Life Schools' integrated early-years-to-primary structure and values-led approach.
- E-ACT: National multi-academy trust operating dozens of primary and secondary academies under a shared back-office model, directly comparable to Big Life Schools' MAT economics and school-conversion growth pathway.
- Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust focused primarily on primary education in urban and disadvantaged communities, mirroring Big Life Schools' community-rooted mission and reliance on per-pupil government funding.
Broad incumbents
- Cognita: Large international schools group operating independent primary and secondary schools across multiple countries — a broader incumbent with overlapping educational offerings but a private-fee model rather than GAG funding.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS social profiles
Digital presenceBIG LIFE SCHOOLS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BIG LIFE SCHOOLS
What does BIG LIFE SCHOOLS do?
Big Life Schools is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operates two state-funded primary schools with attached nurseries in Manchester: Longsight Community Primary (0-11 model) and Unity Community Primary (2-11 years). The trust delivers the National Curriculum using a bespoke Big Life Curriculum and provides SEND support, family engagement services, and an Emotional Wellbeing Programme developed with Manchester University. It is funded primarily through the General Annual Grant (GAG) from the Education and Skills Funding Agency, supplemented by partner-funded holiday clubs and community programmes.
Is BIG LIFE SCHOOLS a public or private company?
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BIG LIFE SCHOOLS founded?
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BIG LIFE SCHOOLS based?
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does BIG LIFE SCHOOLS make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Education Funding.
Who are BIG LIFE SCHOOLS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Star Academies, Oasis Community Learning, Dixons Academies Trust, REAch2 Academy Trust, Academy Transformation Trust, Harris Federation, Reach Academy Feltham, E-ACT and Greenwood Academies Trust. Cognita is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does BIG LIFE SCHOOLS have an API?
No public API is recorded for BIG LIFE SCHOOLS.
What industry is BIG LIFE SCHOOLS in?
BIG LIFE SCHOOLS's product category is Primary Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDACACAG, Nursery School Wraparound Care (Extended Hours), with a secondary code of EDACAAAL, School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care). Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.