Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

What Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust does

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) is a Multi Academy Trust (MAT) established in 2014 by the Diocese of Chichester as its first academy trust offering, registered as a Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 09201845) and headquartered at St Catherine's College, Priory Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, with close operational ties to the Diocese at Church House, Hove. The trust provides centralised school improvement, governance, HR, payroll, finance, audit, legal, safeguarding, and RPA insurance services to a network of 27 primary and secondary schools across East Sussex, West Sussex, and the Isle of Wight. Member schools retain their own identity, ethos, and Local Governing Bodies while benefiting from trust-wide procurement economies of scale (including approximately £60,000 in annual payroll savings and £15,000 in HR savings) and weekly improvement visits from the Centre Team.

DCAT generates revenue by charging each member academy a management fee of 3-6% of that academy's General Annual Grant (GAG), with the percentage determined by a sliding scale based on school phase and current Ofsted rating; lower-rated schools with higher support needs pay the higher end of the range. The charge is levied only on GAG and is not applied to Pupil Premium, Higher Needs Top-up Funding, or other grants. Conversion grants of £25,000 per new school are received from the Department for Education (DfE) upon Academy Order issuance to cover legal, project management, and IT licensing costs during the 9-18 month conversion process. The trust sells no software products and operates no proprietary technology platform; its core technology stack consists of standard back-office systems for finance, payroll, HR, and safeguarding.

DCAT pursues new academy conversions via a consultative, sales-led process led by CEO Mark Talbot, who presents to governing bodies considering joining, supported by peer testimonials and site visits to existing member schools. The trust is regulated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Regional Schools Commissioner, files annual accounts with ESFA and Companies House, and operates under the Academies Financial Handbook. Customer segments include Church of England schools seeking to preserve their Christian identity, Outstanding-rated schools seeking hub collaboration, small rural schools pursuing economies of scale, and underperforming schools requiring intensive improvement support.

Name

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

Legal name

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

Website

https://dcat.academy

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust is a Church of England Multi Academy Trust that operates 27 primary and secondary schools across the South Coast of England and the Isle of Wight, providing centralised school improvement, governance, and back-office services funded by a 3-6% management charge on each academy's General Annual Grant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi Academy Trust Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Education Authorities & Municipal Education Offices (EDADABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Facilities, Capital Planning & Campus Safety Administration (EDADAKAI)

Keywords

• Multi academy trust
• School improvement services
• Academy conversion support
• Education trust services
• School governance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academy Management Charge: DCAT charges academies a percentage of their General Annual Grant (GAG) based on a sliding scale. The percentage is not applied to Pupil Premium, Higher Needs Top-up Funding, or other grants. The current management charge ranges between 3% and 6% of the academy's GAG. In return, the Trust provides access to Centre staff including Head of Improvement, Academy Improvement Partnerships, and the Centre finance team, along with Diocesan Partnership Agreement, Academy Financial Support, Payroll, Human Resources, Audit and Accounting, Legal Advice Support, Safeguarding, RPA insurance, and leadership support through Teaching Academy Alliances.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) is a Multi Academy Trust operating 27 Church of England and Catholic schools across the South Coast of England. It provides centralised back-office and school improvement services — including academy improvement partnerships, finance, payroll, HR, audit, legal advice, safeguarding, RPA insurance and leadership development — to member schools that pay an annual Academy Management Charge of 3-6% of their General Annual Grant.

Product overview

Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) operates as a unified Multi Academy Trust providing education services through a network of 27 schools. The core offering is the Academy Trust itself, which provides centralized support services including school improvement, governance, HR, payroll, finance, audit, legal advice, safeguarding, and leadership development. Member schools maintain individual identities while receiving shared back-office services and collaborative support through the Trust structure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust (DCAT) Membership A Multi Academy Trust (MAT) membership service for schools seeking academy status with Diocesan backing. Member schools pay an annual Academy Management Charge of 3-6% of their General Annual Grant (sliding scale based on phase and Ofsted rating) and receive comprehensive central support services, while retaining their own Local Governing Body and individual character.

Quantifiable outcome

• £60,000 annual savings through trust-wide payroll solution
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diocese of ChichestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCAT operates a group partnership agreement with the Diocese of Chichester and has an elevated Service Level Agreement. The Diocese is headquartered at Church House, Hove, where DCAT is also located, enabling considerable cross-collaborative working. The Regional Schools Commissioner and Ofsted assess the Diocese based on DCAT academies, ensuring continued elevated support from the Diocese.
• Ellis WhittamcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDCAT has partnered with Ellis Whittam, a well-respected employment law firm, to provide unlimited education-specific HR advice. This partnership supports the trust's approach to robust yet supportive management of under-performance with plans ensuring staff have every opportunity and resource to improve.
• University of BrightonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCAT is developing relationships with Teacher Training Programmes at the University of Brighton to support and recruit teachers in the initial stages of their career.
• Sussex UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCAT is developing relationships with Teacher Training Programmes at Sussex University to support and recruit teachers in the initial stages of their career.
• Department for Education (DfE)coreOthersDCAT operates under DfE oversight, filing annual accounts with ESFA and adhering to Academies Financial Handbook requirements. The DfE provides conversion grants (£25,000) and DCAT purchases comprehensive insurance through the DfE-backed RPA scheme.
• Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA)coreOthersDCAT files annual accounts with ESFA as required for academy trusts, ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
• Regional Schools CommissionercoreOthersThe RSC considers DCAT applications and reviews each application at Headteacher Board meetings. For schools in Special Measures, the RSC allocates a senior DfE adviser to visit three times per year.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ARK (Absolute Return for Kids): Multi-academy trust running a network of academies across England with a strong school improvement focus. Comparable to DCAT as a mission-driven MAT offering centralised improvement and operational support.
• E-ACT: National multi-academy trust with a portfolio of academies across multiple regions. Comparable to DCAT as a centralised trust body providing school improvement, governance and back-office services to member schools.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large MAT operating a significant number of primary and secondary academies across the North and Midlands. Comparable to DCAT in its central team model and school improvement orientation.
• United Learning: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating both church and non-church schools nationally. Comparable as a scaled MAT offering centralised school improvement, HR, finance and governance services to member schools.
• Harris Federation: Major multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies across London and the South East. Comparable for its scaled central team delivering school improvement, finance, HR and governance support to member schools.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large national MAT running a portfolio of academies across England with a values-led ethos. Comparable to DCAT as a multi-academy trust providing a mix of church/charitable identity and shared back-office services.

Direct peers

• Diocese of Rochester Academy Trust: Diocesan academy trust in the South East serving Church of England schools. Direct peer to DCAT in both model (Diocesan-led MAT) and geography (South East England).
• Diocese of Oxford Academy Trust (ODST): Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust running a network of CofE academies across Oxfordshire and surrounding counties. Closely comparable as a Diocesan MAT providing the same church-ethos academy conversion and back-office support model.

Regional players

• Tenax Schools Trust: Regional multi-academy trust operating schools across Kent and the South East. Comparable to DCAT in geography (South East) and as a smaller- to mid-sized MAT offering centralised support to member schools.

Emerging players

• Reach Academy Trust: Small-scale multi-academy trust operating a handful of schools in the South East. Comparable to DCAT as a smaller MAT with a strong values-driven identity and centralised school improvement model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/diocese-of-chichester-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries28 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 Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust