CHULMLEIGH ACADEMY TRUST

What CHULMLEIGH ACADEMY TRUST does

Chulmleigh Academy Trust is a UK multi-academy trust operating four state-funded schools in rural North Devon: one secondary school (Chulmleigh College) and three primary schools (Chulmleigh Primary School, East Worlington Primary School, and St Thomas of Canterbury CE Primary School in Lapford). The trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated in 2011 under a Master Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State for Education (renewed May 2022), and operates under a centralized governance model with a single Board of Trustees, Members, and a central support team covering finance, HR, payroll, ICT, estates, governance, data, and communications. Its customers are families with school-aged children in the rural Devon catchment, served free of charge through Devon County Council's admissions system, with the secondary school heavily oversubscribed and reporting strong results (82% achieving 4+ in Basics and an A8 score of 54.09 in 2025 examinations).

The trust has no proprietary technology products. Its technology footprint is built on commodity enterprise platforms: Juniper Education for the trust and school websites, Office 365 and SharePoint for staff communications and intranet, +Pay for parent-school communication, and links to the Department for Education's Compare School Performance service for benchmarking. Revenue is derived almost exclusively from state education funding allocated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency based on pupil numbers, supplemented marginally by optional paid services such as nursery provision, before/after school clubs, and supply teacher placements billed at a fixed MPS6 rate (approximately £35.85 per hour). Distribution is purely direct through Devon County Council admissions, school visits, and virtual tours, with no commercial sales motion. The trust is undergoing a governance restructure introducing Local Governing Boards from September 2026 and has approximately 38 listed central/support staff, with Neil Payne serving as CEO and Director and Steve Baber as Chair of Trustees.

Name

CHULMLEIGH ACADEMY TRUST

Legal name

Chulmleigh Academy Trust

Website

https://chulmleigh.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chulmleigh Academy Trust is a UK state-funded multi-academy trust operating one secondary and three primary schools in rural North Devon, serving local families through ESFA per-pupil funding and centralized central support services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Primary education
• Secondary education
• Academy trust
• State-funded schooling
• SEND provision

Headquarters

HQ city

Chulmleigh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: Academy trust funded through UK government Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) allocations based on pupil numbers. Schools are free to attend for students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chulmleigh Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust that delivers primary and secondary education (EYFS through KS4) across four schools in rural Devon, alongside centralized support services including financial management, payroll, HR, premises and ICT management, governance and clerking, school data support, and communications. Education is state-funded via UK government Education and Skills Funding Agency allocations, and schools are free to attend for students.

Product overview

Chulmleigh Academy Trust operates as an educational academy chain consisting of four schools (one secondary and three primary schools) across rural Devon. The Trust provides centralized leadership and administrative support services including financial management, payroll, HR, premises management, governance support, data management, ICT infrastructure, and communications. Each school maintains its own identity while benefiting from shared resources, expertise, and best practices across the Trust. The four schools are Chulmleigh College (secondary), Chulmleigh Primary School, East Worlington Primary School, and St Thomas of Canterbury CE Primary School.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chulmleigh College Secondary school (KS3 and KS4) within Chulmleigh Academy Trust, situated at the edge of Chulmleigh in North Devon, delivering education to secondary-age pupils with reported 82% achieving 4+ in Basics and A8 score of 54.09 in 2025 examinations.
• Chulmleigh Primary School Primary school within Chulmleigh Academy Trust offering EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 education to children in Chulmleigh, with a virtual tour available for prospective families.
• East Worlington Primary School Primary school within Chulmleigh Academy Trust offering EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 education to children in East Worlington, with a virtual tour available for prospective families.
• St Thomas of Canterbury CE Primary School Church of England primary school within Chulmleigh Academy Trust located in Lapford, offering EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 education with a virtual tour available for prospective families.
• Central Support Services Centralized administrative and support services provided to all Trust schools, including financial management, payroll, HR support, premises and health & safety management, governance and clerking, school data support, ICT infrastructure, and business support and communications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 82% of pupils achieved 4+ in Basics in 2025 examinations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: A major national group of state-funded and independent schools operating as a multi-academy trust. Comparable in mission and central-service operating model, but at far greater scale and geographic spread than Chulmleigh.
• Oasis Community Learning: A large national multi-academy trust operating dozens of primary and secondary academies across England. Comparable in operating model (state-funded academy trust with centralised services) but at materially greater scale than Chulmleigh.
• Ark Schools: A national multi-academy trust operating academies across England. Shares the MAT structure and education-outcome focus with Chulmleigh, though at much larger national scale.
• Harris Federation: A large multi-academy trust running primary and secondary academies, primarily in London and the South East. Comparable central operating model, with a track record of strong academic outcomes similar to Chulmleigh College's regional reputation.
• Cabot Learning Federation: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in the South West of England, operating a broad portfolio of primary, secondary and special schools. Provides an incumbent benchmark for MAT scale and central service delivery in the same region.
• Academies Enterprise Trust: A large national sponsor of primary and secondary academies. Shares the multi-academy trust operating model and central-service structure with Chulmleigh, though operates at significantly larger scale and national scope.

Direct peers

• First Federation Trust: A Devon-based multi-academy trust operating a similar portfolio of small primary and secondary schools in rural communities. Closely comparable in geographic focus, school mix, and trust scale to Chulmleigh Academy Trust.
• Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust: A Devon/Exeter-based multi-academy trust covering primary and secondary schools in the South West. Comparable regional footprint and trust structure, though slightly larger in scale than Chulmleigh.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChulmleighAT
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChulmleighCollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/chulmleigh-academy-trust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries4 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 CHULMLEIGH ACADEMY TRUST