What Aylesford School does

Aylesford School is a state-funded secondary school located in Aylesford, Kent, England, operating as a member academy of the Character Education Trust Multi-Academy Trust. It serves students aged 11 to 18 across Years 7 through Sixth Form (Year 13), delivering GCSEs, A-Levels, and vocational qualifications including Business, Criminology, Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Catering, and a Level 3 City and Guilds Professional Chef pathway. The school's core differentiator is a Character Education Programme built around ten character strengths and recognised by the ACE School of Character Quality Mark Plus, held by fewer than 20 schools nationally.

The technology stack is built on Microsoft 365 for email, Office applications, and school portal authentication, supplemented by ClassCharts for homework and behaviour tracking, Parent Pay for payments, WhatsApp for parent communications, and the Jigsaw PSHE programme for personal development. Teaching is supported by specialist facilities including a professional kitchen built in partnership with the Savoy Hotel, ICT suites, and a dedicated Sixth Form centre.

As a state-funded academy, Aylesford School does not charge tuition; revenue is sourced from public per-pupil funding and supplemented by voluntary trip contributions (£25–£500 range with installment options), catering income, and ancillary services. The go-to-market model is admissions-based, relying on its website, social media, Year 6 Open Evenings, and word-of-mouth within the Kent community to attract its single customer segment: local secondary-age students and their families.

Name

Aylesford School

Legal name

Aylesford School

Website

https://aylesford.kent.sch.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aylesford School is a state-funded secondary school and Sixth Form in Kent, UK, serving students aged 11–18 within the Character Education Trust Multi-Academy Trust and distinguished by its Character Education Programme.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Aylesford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aylesford School is a state-funded secondary school in Kent, UK, delivering the UK National Curriculum from Year 7 through Year 11 (GCSE) and operating a Sixth Form offering A-Level and Vocational Level 3 qualifications. The school integrates a branded Character Education Programme built on ten core character strengths (curiosity, open-mindedness, respect, motivation, resilience, confidence, self-discipline, integrity, compassion, courage) and holds the ACE School of Character Quality Mark Plus.

Product overview

Aylesford School is a secondary school in Kent offering comprehensive education from Years 7 through Sixth Form. The school operates a unified educational platform consisting of secondary education (Years 7-11) and a Sixth Form providing A Level and Vocational Level 3 courses. The core offering is distinguished by its Character Education Programme (holding ACE School of Character Quality Mark Plus status), which integrates character development with academic curriculum. The school provides subject-specific programmes including Food & Cookery (with professional kitchen facilities), ICT & Computing, Criminology, Health & Social Care, and Duke of Edinburgh Award. Extra-curricular activities include clubs, Drama productions, and the community-based Dementia Cafe programme. Students access learning through Microsoft 365 and ClassCharts platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education (Years 7-11)
• Aylesford Sixth Form
• Character Education Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• 53% of students heading to university - record breaking results
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Character Education TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Character Education Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) that Aylesford School is part of. The Trust exists to provide outstanding education in both primary and secondary schools with the mission of Building Character, Creating Opportunities.
• Savoy Hotel (London)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional kitchen facilities were built in collaboration with the Savoy Hotel in London, providing students with real-world professional cooking environment. Students use these facilities to gain experience catering for functions, groups of staff, governors, and school events.
• The Cumberland Hotel (London)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeputy Manager from The Cumberland Hotel, part of a prestigious London hotel chain, visited to speak with Year 11 Hospitality & Catering students about careers in hospitality.
• Ash Contracting LtdminorOthersSponsored the Race to the Line Rocket Cars Challenge for Year 7 students, enabling hands-on STEM learning experience.
• Official Staunton Chess CompanyminorOthersChess club is supported by the Official Staunton Chess Company, which provides support for the popular chess club enjoyed during break and lunch.
• LidlminorOthersContributed food supplies for the Dementia Cafe community event.
• Offshore Shellfish / Fish Heroes ProgrammeminorOthersSelected as one of 200 schools to receive 8kg of fresh mussels free for students to prepare and cook through the Fish Heroes Programme.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts, operating a broad portfolio of primary and secondary academies. Comparable as a large-scale MAT operator competing with Character Education Trust for school conversions and shared services, though Harris does not specialise in character education.
• Ark Schools: Large UK MAT running multiple secondary academies with a focus on academic outcomes and character development. Comparable as a MAT with an explicit character/SEL overlay, though operating at significantly greater scale than Aylesford or its Trust.
• Academies Enterprise Trust: UK MAT running a large network of secondary academies. Comparable as a sector competitor for academy growth, school improvement resources, and parental choice in Kent and the South East.
• United Learning: Large MAT operating both state and independent schools across England. Comparable as a multi-school operating group with broad curriculum ambition, though its scale and independent/state mix differ from Aylesford's single-academy model.
• Wellington College: Leading UK independent school with a publicly championed character education programme. Comparable as a high-profile reference point for the character-education approach Aylesford has codified, though operating in the independent sector with very different funding.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: UK-wide MAT operating dozens of secondary academies. Comparable as a competitor MAT sharing the same operating model (academy conversions, central services, shared curriculum) but without Aylesford's specialist character-education positioning.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large Northern-based MAT with a reputation for school improvement and raising standards in underperforming secondaries. Comparable as a competitor MAT whose improvement-focused model contrasts with Aylesford's character-led approach.

Others

• Character Education Trust: Parent Multi-Academy Trust of which Aylesford School is a member academy. Directly comparable as the operating umbrella for Aylesford and the platform through which the Character Education Framework is rolled out across member schools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Aylesford_6Form
• Facebookfacebook.com/AylesfordSchoolKent
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aylesfordschool

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Aylesford School