CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS TRUST

What CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS TRUST does

Cathedral Schools Trust (CST) was a Church of England Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating in Bristol, England, structured as a charitable company limited by guarantee under the Academies Act 2010 (company number 06516626). Founded in 2016 and headquartered at St Katherine's School, Pill Road, Bristol, the trust operated a network of 12 schools — 3 secondary schools (Bristol Cathedral Choir School, Trinity Academy, and St Katherine's School, each with 11-16 and Post-16 provision) and 9 primary schools (including Cathedral Primary School, Headley Park, Hotwells, Stoke Park, St Werburgh's, Henleaze Infant, Henleaze Junior, Ashton Gate, and Victoria Park) — collectively educating approximately 4,000 pupils. The trust's model combined secular academies with Church of England designated schools, and featured an all-through K-13 design where Cathedral Primary School shares a campus with Bristol Cathedral Choir School.

The business model is non-commercial: CST was state-funded through per-pupil funding agreements with the Department for Education, with education provided free at point of use under standard UK school admissions processes governed by annually published admission arrangements. Revenue mechanics are entirely government-derived, with no commercial pricing structure. Technology consists of standard school websites with accessibility features (responsive design, screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation), and the organization maintains GDPR compliance through documented data protection and records retention policies. Key leadership includes CEO Neil Blundell MA (who led the trust from its 2016 formation and previously grew Bristol Cathedral Choir School from 300 to 1,200 students) and Chair of Members William Browne, Professor of Statistics at the University of Bristol.

On 1st March 2026, following a period of consultation, CST merged with Trust in Learning Academies to form Amplify Education. Following the merger, only a skeleton board remains in place for Cathedral Schools Trust to comply with its statutory duties until dissolution is complete. The legacy CST entity is therefore in the process of being wound down, with operational growth and any future expansion now residing within the Amplify Education vehicle.

Name

CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS TRUST

Legal name

Cathedral Schools Trust

Website

https://cathedralschoolstrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cathedral Schools Trust was a state-funded Church of England Multi-Academy Trust in Bristol operating 12 schools (3 secondary and 9 primary) serving approximately 4,000 pupils, which merged with Trust in Learning Academies on 1st March 2026 to form Amplify Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Services (611), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter Career & Technical Education (CTE) Schools (EDAJACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC), Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary education
• Secondary education
• State-funded schools
• School governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cathedral Schools Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operates a network of state-funded Church of England and secular academies in the Bristol area. It delivers primary and secondary education (reception through Year 13, ages 4-18) through individual schools operating under a single trust governance structure, including the all-through Cathedral Primary School and Bristol Cathedral Choir School model.

Product overview

Cathedral Schools Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operated a network of 12 schools across Bristol, UK, including 3 secondary schools (Bristol Cathedral Choir School, Trinity Academy, St Katherine's School) and 9 primary schools. Following a merger with Trust in Learning Academies on 1st March 2026, the combined entity formed Amplify Education. The Trust provided educational services through its schools rather than technology products. The schools collectively educate approximately 4000 pupils and operated as individual academies under the Trust's governance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bristol Cathedral Choir School (BCCS) A secondary school (11-16 provision) and sixth form (Post 16 provision) academy within the Trust, located in Bristol, offering academic education with a choir school heritage.
• Trinity Academy A secondary school (11-16 provision) and sixth form academy that opened in 2019, providing academic education within the Trust.
• St Katherine's School

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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 highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ormiston Academies Trust: One of the largest national MATs in England, operating dozens of primary and secondary academies; comparable as a broad incumbent in the same academy/trust structure.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Mid-sized national Multi-Academy Trust operating academies across the Midlands and East of England; comparable as a broader MAT incumbent with similar governance structure.
• E-ACT: Large national Multi-Academy Trust running primary and secondary academies across multiple regions; comparable as a broad incumbent with similar per-pupil funding model.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large national Multi-Academy Trust operating faith-inspired academies across England; comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping CofE-style ethos and far greater scale.

Regional players

• Lighthouse Schools Partnership: South-West England Multi-Academy Trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools across Bristol and Somerset; comparable as a regional MAT with similar school mix.
• Greenshaw Learning Trust: Multi-Academy Trust with schools across the South West and South East of England; comparable as a growing regional MAT with both primary and secondary phases.

Emerging players

• Aspire Academy Trust: Smaller, growing South-West Multi-Academy Trust operating a handful of primary and secondary schools; comparable as an emerging MAT with similar governance and growth profile.

Direct peers

• Diocese of Bristol Academies Trust: Church of England-affiliated Multi-Academy Trust in the Bristol and surrounding region; directly comparable as a faith-based MAT competing for the same family demographic.
• Trust in Learning Academies: Bristol-area Multi-Academy Trust that merged with Cathedral Schools Trust on 1 March 2026 to form Amplify Education; directly comparable in size, structure, and regional footprint.
• Venturers Trust: Bristol-based Multi-Academy Trust operating a small portfolio of academies including faith-linked schools; comparable in scale, geography, and CofE-style mission.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cathedral-schools-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 CATHEDRAL SCHOOLS TRUST