Community Schools Trust
Community Schools Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating six state-funded secondary schools across East London and Norwich, delivering GCSE and A-level pathways underpinned by its Dynamic Progress Reporting assessment system and Direct Instruction pedagogy. It also runs paid teacher training programmes and serves as a sponsor for schools seeking improvement support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Community Schools Trust does
Community Schools Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust founded in 2021 that operates six state-funded secondary schools across East London (Forest Gate, Cumberland in Newham, Waterside Academy in Hackney, Haggerston School, The Excelsior Academy) and Norwich (University Technical College Norfolk). The trust serves students aged 11-18, delivering GCSE, A-level, and vocational pathways, and serves as the operational sponsor for schools seeking centralised governance and improvement support. Its foundational school, Forest Gate Community School, has held three Outstanding Ofsted ratings (most recently December 2021) and has ranked in the top 50 nationally for GCSE results for six consecutive years.
The trust's core technology and pedagogical platform is the Dynamic Progress Reporting (DPR) system, developed in partnership with Axle Education, which enables real-time student assessment, live marking by teachers, and cross-school progress monitoring. This sits alongside a tailored, knowledge-based curriculum framework and a Direct Instruction methodology emphasising pace, participation, and Checking for Understanding. CST also operates teacher training products — a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme with London District East Teaching School Hub and Ambition Institute, plus an in-house Graduate Training Programme paying trainees £33,000, certified by the University of East London. A 'colleges programme' supports selective school applications, with documented student outcomes including full bursaries and scholarships at institutions such as Fulham School and Ashbourne College.
CST generates revenue via per-pupil government funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and operates as a non-profit charitable company; specific financials are not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market approach is a hybrid: pupils are admitted through standard local-authority catchment processes, teaching staff are recruited directly via a careers portal and structured training pathways, and additional schools are onboarded through a dedicated 'Join our MAT' enquiry channel. The central team of 11-50 staff supports a much larger school-level workforce under CEO Simon Elliott, with 75% of leadership positions filled through internal promotion.
Community Schools Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Schools Trust
- Legal name
- Community Schools Trust
- Website
- https://communityschoolstrust.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Schools Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating six state-funded secondary schools across East London and Norwich, delivering GCSE and A-level pathways underpinned by its Dynamic Progress Reporting assessment system and Direct Instruction pedagogy. It also runs paid teacher training programmes and serves as a sponsor for schools seeking improvement support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Schools Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Secondary Education Services
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs (EDAJAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Community Schools Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Community Schools Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Community Schools Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Schools Trust operates six UK state-funded secondary schools delivering full secondary education (Key Stages 3, 4 and 5) to students aged 11–18. In parallel, it runs a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme and a CST Graduate Training Programme that pays trainees a salary of £33,000 while they qualify as teachers, plus a Colleges Programme supporting Year 6 students in selective school applications.
Product overview
Community Schools Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) providing educational services through six schools across London and Norfolk. The trust's core educational offering centers on Dynamic Progress Reporting (in partnership with Axle Education), supplemented by teacher training programs (SCITT and Graduate Training Programme), and a colleges programme for selective school applications. The trust's member schools include Forest Gate Community School, Cumberland Community School, Waterside Academy, University Technical College Norfolk, The Excelsior Academy, and Haggerston School.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Secondary Education across Six Academies (Haggerston, Forest Gate, Cumberland, Waterside, UTCN, Excelsior)
- SCITT (School Centred Initial Teacher Training) School-based initial teacher training programme offered to graduates and career-changers who want to qualify as secondary teachers while working in one of the trust's academies.
- CST Graduate Training Programme Paid graduate teacher training programme in which trainees earn a salary of £33,000 while completing their initial teacher training, with a stated emphasis on growing school leaders from within the trust's own cohort.
- Colleges Programme (Selective School Application Support) Support programme for Year 6 students preparing applications to selective secondary schools, including entrance exam and interview preparation.
Quantifiable outcome
- Progress 8 score of +1, indicating students make significantly more than expected progress.
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Schools Trust
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Community Schools Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature3 records
Community Schools Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Axle EducationcoreTechnology partnership providing the Dynamic Progress Reporting (DPR) system used across all trust schools for real-time student assessment and progress tracking. This enables live marking and immediate feedback to students.
- London District East Teaching School HubcorePartnership to deliver School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) and the Early Career Framework. Provides seminars, workshops, and QTS/PGCE qualifications for trainee teachers.
- Ambition InstitutecorePartner in delivering teacher training and the Early Career Framework, providing professional development resources and qualifications.
- University of East LondoncoreUniversity partner acting as assessor and awarding body for the CST Graduate Training Programme, providing QTS assessment and certification.
- London College of Fashion (UAL)minorPartnership hosting the CST Visual Arts Exhibition 'Future Visionaries' at London College of Fashion's Stratford campus, showcasing student artwork from all six trust schools.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Community Schools Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- United Learning: Major UK MAT running both state-funded academies and independent schools. Comparable governance structure, school-improvement programmes, and breadth of curriculum and teacher-training offerings.
- Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large UK MAT operating dozens of secondary and primary schools. Comparable in multi-school governance, data-driven progress tracking, and rapid school turnaround methodology.
- Harris Federation: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts operating a large portfolio of primary and secondary schools, predominantly in and around London. Directly comparable in MAT structure, school-improvement focus, and concentration in London boroughs.
- Ormiston Academies Trust: UK Multi-Academy Trust operating a portfolio of secondary and primary schools. Comparable as a fellow MAT focused on school improvement, governance, and outcomes in similar English regions.
- Ark Schools: UK Multi-Academy Trust operating schools across the country with a focus on disadvantaged communities. Highly comparable operating model and mission: running groups of academies with centralised curriculum and teacher development.
- Greenwood Academies Trust: UK MAT operating academies across the East Midlands and East of England. Comparable in operating a portfolio of state-funded schools under a shared governance and curriculum framework.
- LEO Academy Trust: Smaller UK Multi-Academy Trust operating a cluster of schools in the South East. Comparable as a fellow MAT at similar scale to CST, with shared curriculum and teacher-development infrastructure.
- Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): Large UK MAT sponsoring academies and free schools across England. Directly comparable structure: central team supporting multiple schools, with shared curriculum and assessment systems.
- City of London Academies Trust: Multi-Academy Trust sponsored by the City of London Corporation, operating secondary and primary schools predominantly in and around London. Comparable London-focused MAT footprint and governance model.
- REAch2 Academy Trust: UK primary-focused Multi-Academy Trust. Comparable MAT operating model with centralised curriculum, assessment, and teacher development infrastructure across multiple schools.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Community Schools Trust social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Schools Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Schools Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Community Schools Trust subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Community Schools Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Schools Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Schools Trust
What does Community Schools Trust do?
Community Schools Trust operates six UK state-funded secondary schools delivering full secondary education (Key Stages 3, 4 and 5) to students aged 11–18. In parallel, it runs a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme and a CST Graduate Training Programme that pays trainees a salary of £33,000 while they qualify as teachers, plus a Colleges Programme supporting Year 6 students in selective school applications.
Is Community Schools Trust a public or private company?
Community Schools Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Schools Trust founded?
Community Schools Trust was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Schools Trust based?
Community Schools Trust is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are Community Schools Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are United Learning, Outwood Grange Academies Trust, Harris Federation, Ormiston Academies Trust, Ark Schools, Greenwood Academies Trust, LEO Academy Trust, Academies Enterprise Trust (AET), City of London Academies Trust and REAch2 Academy Trust.
Does Community Schools Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Schools Trust.
What industry is Community Schools Trust in?
Community Schools Trust's product category is Secondary Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAAAC, Public Middle Schools, with a secondary code of EDAJAAAJ, Public Career & Technical Education (CTE) Centers & Programs. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.