What COCKBURN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST does

Cockburn Multi Academy Trust (Cockburn MAT) is a charitable company limited by guarantee (Companies House registration number 9946495) operating a group of seven state-funded schools across south Leeds, England. Founded in February 2016 when Cockburn School converted to academy status under the Academies Act 2010, the trust has expanded from a single 11-18 secondary school to a mixed-phase network covering ages 3-18: Cockburn School (11-18, Outstanding Ofsted 2022), Cockburn John Charles Academy (11-16), Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy (11-16 free school opened September 2021), Cockburn Haigh Road Academy (3-7 infant), Middleton Primary School (4-11), Cockburn Ingram Road Academy (through school, joined July 2025), and Cockburn Reach Academy (36-place alternative provision for pupils at risk of exclusion). The trust is headquartered in Leeds and operates in the Beeston, Middleton, Belle Isle, Holbeck, and Rothwell areas.

The trust is led by Executive Headteacher David Gurney MBE (awarded MBE for Services to Education in March 2026) with Emma Watson as Chief Operating Officer and Peter Nuttall as Chair of the Board of Trustees. There is no proprietary technology product; the technology footprint consists of a MAT website (launched September 2022 and built by Cleverbox), standard analytics (Google Analytics), school payment platforms (ParentPay, WisePay), document sharing (Issuu), and per-school social media accounts. Cockburn School has been designated a National Support School and awarded Artsmark Platinum twice, signalling system leadership and arts-education excellence.

Cockburn MAT does not charge customers for educational services. All revenue is received from the UK Government through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) on a per-pupil basis, with school places free at point of use for students. The trust's revenue model is therefore structurally that of a non-profit state school operator: scale is driven by pupil enrollment across the seven academies, and growth comes from adding new schools to the MAT or expanding existing provision (as evidenced by the 2021 free school opening and the 2025 Ingram Road addition). Specific revenue figures are not disclosed in the available materials; financial statements for August 2023 and August 2025 are published on the trust website but were not extracted.

Name

COCKBURN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST

Legal name

Cockburn Multi Academy Trust

Website

https://cockburnmat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cockburn Multi Academy Trust operates seven state-funded schools across south Leeds, providing education to students aged 3-18. The charitable company limited by guarantee is government-funded through the ESFA and focuses on transforming schools to achieve high educational standards.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi Academy Trust / K-12 State-Funded Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB), Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Multi academy trust
• Primary education services
• Secondary education services
• Alternative provision education
• School improvement services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cockburn Multi Academy Trust operates a network of seven state-funded schools across south Leeds providing education to children and young people aged 3 to 18. The portfolio includes primary, secondary, infant and alternative-provision schools, unified under the 'Transformation to Excellence' vision. Core delivery is full-time school education, including broad curricula, extra-curricular arts and sports, character development, post-16 preparation, and centralised support services. Funding is received from the UK Government via the ESFA, with school places free at point of use.

Product overview

Cockburn Multi Academy Trust operates as a unified group of seven schools across Leeds: two secondary schools (Cockburn School and Cockburn John Charles Academy), one 11-16 secondary free school (Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy), one infant school (Cockburn Haigh Road Academy), one primary school (Middleton Primary School), one through school (Cockburn Ingram Road Academy), and one alternative provision school (Cockburn Reach Academy). The trust provides educational services from ages 3-18 through its network of schools, united by the 'Transformation to Excellence' vision focused on raising standards and improving student life chances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cockburn School An 11-18 secondary school located in Beeston, Leeds, and the founding member of Cockburn MAT. Achieved Outstanding Ofsted rating across all inspection areas in February 2022. Designated as a National Support School by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. Provides secondary education to students in the south Leeds area and supports other schools as a National Support School.
• Cockburn John Charles Academy A secondary school in Belle Isle, Leeds, rated Good by Ofsted in April 2022 with Outstanding ratings in Personal Development and Leadership and Management. Previously rated Inadequate before joining the MAT. Provides secondary education to students aged 11-16 in Belle Isle, south Leeds.
• Cockburn Laurence Calvert Academy An 11-16 secondary free school opened in September 2021 in Middleton, Leeds, named after WW1 Victoria Cross recipient Laurence Calvert. Achieved Good Ofsted rating in June 2024 with Outstanding in Personal Development. Provides secondary education to students aged 11-16 in Middleton, south Leeds.
• Cockburn Haigh Road Academy A 3-7 infant school in Rothwell, Leeds, rated Good across all areas by Ofsted in December 2023. Achieved Good rating after transforming from Inadequate rating (2018) following the school improvement journey under the trust. Provides infant education for pupils aged 3-7 in the Rothwell area.
• Cockburn Reach Academy An alternative provision with 36 places for pupils aged 5-11 at risk of suspension or permanent exclusion. Supports pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs who require specialist provision outside mainstream schooling. Located in the Holbeck area of Leeds.
• Cockburn Ingram Road Academy A through school built in 1904 with over 330 pupils, serving the Holbeck community in Leeds. Joined Cockburn MAT in July 2025 providing through-school education (combining primary and secondary phases) to children in the Holbeck area of south Leeds.
• Middleton Primary School A 4-11 primary school in Middleton, Leeds, rated Good in all areas by Ofsted (November 2022). The first primary school to join Cockburn MAT in 2018. Holds Artsmark Silver status from Arts Council England in recognition of commitment to and excellence in arts education. Provides primary education to pupils aged 4-11 in Middleton, south Leeds.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cockburn School: Outstanding in all areas - Quality of Education, Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management (Ofsted Feb 2022)
• +4 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

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• The Gorse SCITTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner in The Gorse SCITT (Ofsted Outstanding 2017), a School Centred Initial Teacher Training programme. Cockburn School and Cockburn John Charles Academy provide mentored training programmes for trainees achieving Post Graduate Certificates in Education (PGCE).
• Leeds SCITTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCockburn John Charles Academy is a host school for Leeds SCITT trainees. The SCITT offers full Professional-Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and 60 Masters credits.
• Leeds Trinity SCITTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCockburn School is a strategic partner and Lead School for Art & Design, Music, Dance and Drama PGCE training. Cockburn School has been leading in-school provision for trainee art/performing arts teachers since 2014.
• Teach FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCockburn School and Cockburn John Charles Academy work with Teach First in providing mentored training programmes for graduates wanting a career in teaching.
• Leeds Beckett UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCockburn School works with Leeds Beckett University for teacher training programmes.
• Leeds Trinity UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCockburn School works with Leeds Trinity University for teacher training programmes.

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Leeds Trinity University SCITT: Higher education and initial teacher training provider partnered with Cockburn School. Comparable as an enabling/ecosystem partner in the teacher-supply pipeline rather than a competing operator.

Direct peers

• White Rose Academies Trust: Multi Academy Trust operating schools in the Leeds area, providing directly comparable K-12 sponsor-academy services within the same local-authority footprint as Cockburn MAT.
• Exceed Academies Trust: Bradford-area Multi Academy Trust running a portfolio of primary and secondary schools. Comparable as a neighbouring West Yorkshire sponsor MAT with similar demographics and conversion-driven growth strategy.
• Wellspring Academy Trust: Northern England Multi Academy Trust operating a mix of primary, secondary and alternative-provision schools. Comparable as a similar-size MAT with an explicit focus on school turnaround and inclusion.
• The Gorse Academies Trust: A Leeds/West Yorkshire Multi Academy Trust operating a comparable portfolio of secondary and primary schools. Directly comparable as a same-region, same-phase sponsor academy trust with which Cockburn MAT already partners for teacher training via The Gorse SCITT.
• Rodillian Multi Academy Trust: West Yorkshire-based Multi Academy Trust operating secondary and primary academies. Comparable as a regionally focused MAT with similar school-improvement and conversion-led growth model.

Broad incumbents

• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: One of the largest UK Multi Academy Trusts, operating dozens of primary and secondary schools across the north of England. Comparable as a much larger incumbent in the same sponsor-academy space, providing a benchmark for scaled MAT operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cockburnschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/cockburnschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cockburn-multi-academy-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 COCKBURN MULTI ACADEMY TRUST