Children First Academy Trust

What Children First Academy Trust does

Children First Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust (MAT) and charitable company limited by guarantee, established on 1 April 2019 under a Master Funding Agreement with the UK Department for Education. The trust operates seven state-funded primary schools (Brettenham, Eldon, Fleecefield, Galliard, Honilands, Raynham, and Wilbury) across the London Borough of Enfield, serving more than 3,000 children aged two through eleven, including nursery provision, before and after-school clubs, and specialist complex needs facilities. Schools range from two to four forms of entry and operate free at the point of use under standard UK school admission processes. The trust runs on an approximately £30 million annual budget drawn entirely from ESFA allocations, with no tuition fees and only nominal ancillary income from facility lettings and optional paid services.

The trust's core offering is a collaborative multi-academy governance and school improvement model: centralized finance, HR, operations, governance, school improvement, and SEND leadership functions serve the seven member schools, while each school retains its own identity, headteacher, and local governing body. The underlying technology stack is standard UK primary education administrative infrastructure, including a Juniper Education-powered trust website, per-school websites, school management systems, and Twitter/X for community engagement. The trust also operates an Associate School Partnership Programme that allows non-member schools to access shared leadership, professional development, governance support, and central services. Strategic pillars articulated by leadership are Leadership, Curriculum, and Pedagogy, supported by structured professional development pathways and career progression for staff.

Children First Academy Trust is led by CEO Jane Flynn, with Deputy CEO/CFO Dominic Smart and a central executive team overseeing finance, operations, HR, governance, school improvement, SEND, and welfare. Governance sits with a Board of Trustees (chaired by Jenny Tosh, with Neil Yeomans as Vice Chair) and Members including Ivor Olley, Kate Turnpenney MBE, Elpida Theophanous, Jenny Tosh, and Mel Bignold. The trust has no parent company, no external equity investors, and no shareholders; it is an exempt charity regulated by the Secretary of State for Education and registered at Companies House (Company number 11834165). Growth since founding has been modest and geographically contained: expansion from five to seven schools at formation, followed by organizational professionalization and the launch of the associate school programme, with no subsequent school conversions or geographic moves beyond Enfield.

Name

Children First Academy Trust

Legal name

Children First Academy Trust

Website

https://childrenfirsttrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children First Academy Trust is a UK multi-academy trust operating seven state-funded primary schools in the London Borough of Enfield, serving over 3,000 children on an approximately £30 million annual budget funded entirely by the Department for Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAJAAAB

Public Elementary Schools

Education/K–12 / Primary & Secondary Education/Public K–12 Schools & Districts

Keywords

• Primary school education
• Multi-academy trust
• State-funded education
• Primary education services
• School improvement

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: The trust receives state funding from the Department for Education (DfE) through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Funding is provided via the Master Funding Agreement and Supplemental Funding Agreements for each academy. This constitutes the primary revenue stream supporting school operations, staff salaries, and educational delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Children First Academy Trust operates a network of seven state-funded primary schools (Brettenham, Eldon, Fleecefield, Galliard, Honilands, Raynham, and Wilbury) in the London Borough of Enfield, delivering free primary education to over 3,000 children aged 2-11. The Trust centralises governance, finance, HR, and school improvement functions across its member schools, operating on an annual budget of approximately £30 million funded by the UK Department for Education through the ESFA.

Product overview

Children First Academy Trust operates as a multi-academy trust consisting of seven primary schools across London. The Trust offers educational services through its member schools network (Brettenham, Eldon, Fleecefield, Galliard, Honilands, Raynham, and Wilbury Primary Schools), which serve over 3000 children ranging from two-year-old provision through to Key Stage 2. Each school maintains its own identity while benefiting from centralised governance, finance, HR, and school improvement support. The Trust also provides an Associate School Partnership Programme for other schools wishing to join the collaborative network. The schools range from two to four forms of entry and include specialist provisions for complex needs within some settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Children First Academy Trust Schools Network
• Associate School Partnership Programme

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Exodus Youth WorkminorOthersCommunity partner supporting the trust's Bags of Kindness initiative. Mr & Mrs Beckford collected 120 Bags of Kindness from Exodus Youth Work for distribution to families in need, particularly during the Christmas period.
• Edmonton Salvation ArmyminorOthersLocal charity partner providing support to families within the trust's communities. Dawn and her team at Edmonton Salvation Army have partnered with the trust to bring joy to families during Christmas time through gift and support initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• REAch2 Academy Trust: UK primary-focused multi-academy trust operating a large network of primary academies. Directly comparable as a primary-only MAT model with shared services and professional development pathways.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: UK MAT running a portfolio of primary and secondary academies, including in London and the East Midlands. Comparable as a primary-heavy MAT with shared central services and professional development.
• Community Schools Trust (Ventrus): Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary schools in the South West of England. Directly comparable as a primary-focused MAT using centralised services and collaborative school improvement.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating primary and secondary academies across London and the South East. Comparable as a scaled MAT sharing central services across a network of schools serving diverse urban communities.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large UK MAT operating primary and secondary academies across the North and Midlands. Comparable as a large multi-academy trust with centralised school improvement and economies of scale.
• Academies Enterprise Trust: One of the UK's largest MATs operating primary and secondary academies nationwide. Comparable as a large, scaled MAT model with shared services and a focus on educational improvement across diverse communities.
• United Learning: Major UK MAT and independent school group operating primary and secondary schools nationwide. Comparable as a scaled academy trust with shared central services and a knowledge-rich curriculum focus.
• Oasis Academy Trust: Large national MAT running primary and secondary academies across England. Comparable as a community-focused multi-academy trust using shared governance and central services across multiple school sites.
• E-ACT: National MAT operating primary and secondary academies across England, including several in London. Comparable as a multi-academy trust with shared central services and community engagement focus.
• ARK (Ark Academies): UK charity running a network of academies across London and other regions with a focus on educational outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Comparable as a multi-academy trust serving urban, high-need communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childrenfirstat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-first-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries7 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 Children First Academy Trust