East Midlands Academy Trust

What East Midlands Academy Trust does

East Midlands Academy Trust (EMAT) is a multi-academy trust and charitable company limited by guarantee (company number 08149829), first established in 2012 and consolidated under the EMAT brand in 2018. It operates seven schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes: five primary schools (Castle, Hardingstone, Orchard, Shepherdswell, Stimpson Avenue), one all-through school (Northampton International Academy, including the NIA6 sixth form opened in September 2024), and one secondary school (Prince William School in Oundle). The trust serves nearly 5,000 pupils and employs over 600 staff, with headquarters at Pyramus House in Grange Park, Northampton. Its operating model is built around school improvement, inclusion, and a centralised services layer comprising HR, finance, governance, IT, shared services, estates, procurement, data, and communications.

EMAT's core product is state-funded primary and secondary education, supplemented by a growing SEND portfolio (Aspen at Orchard Academy, Butterfly Meadow at Hardingstone, Caterpillar Pod at Castle Academy, Rosewood at Prince William) covering social communication and SEMH needs. Supporting services include the EMAT Training Hub (safeguarding, mental health, leadership coaching, first aid, behaviour support, SEND coaching) and National Professional Qualifications delivered on behalf of LLSE. Annual community programmes such as the EMAT Olympics, Torch Relay, Ability Games for SEND pupils, Pupil Parliament and the #EMATters Celebration Awards reinforce engagement. Technology footprint is conventional: a Laravel-based website, Google Analytics, YouTube video embeds, Microsoft Forms integration, and standard IT services — no proprietary AI/ML or platform architecture is disclosed.

Revenue is derived almost entirely from ESFA/local-authority per-pupil funding, supplemented by facility lettings and income from the Training Hub and NPQ programmes. There are no tuition fees; admission is coordinated through West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council and Milton Keynes Council, with appeals administered by Warwickshire School Admission Team. Growth is being pursued through formal DfE consultation to onboard three additional schools (Culworth CEVA, Chacombe CEVA, Boddington C of E) from Evolve Church Academy Trust, alongside continued SEND and sixth-form expansion.

Name

East Midlands Academy Trust

Legal name

East Midlands Academy Trust

Website

https://emat.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

East Midlands Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust operating seven state-funded primary, secondary and all-through schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, serving nearly 5,000 pupils and over 600 staff, funded by ESFA per-pupil grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Basic Education Access & Quality (Primary/Secondary) (BPADAKAA), Instructional Coaching & Teacher Professional Learning (School-Embedded) (EDAJAFAO)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary secondary education
• SEND specialist provisions
• Teacher training programs
• School improvement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton, England

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government School Funding: EMAT receives funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and local authorities based on pupil numbers. Schools within the trust follow local authority coordinated admission arrangements through West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council, and Milton Keynes Council.
2. Lettings and Facilities: The trust generates revenue through its lettings policy, renting out school facilities and the EMAT Training Hub to external organisations for events and training.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

East Midlands Academy Trust operates a network of seven state-funded schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, delivering primary, secondary, and sixth-form education to nearly 5,000 pupils through more than 600 staff. The trust also runs four specialist SEND resource provisions (Aspen, Butterfly Meadow, Caterpillar Pod, Rosewood) for pupils with social communication needs and SEMH difficulties, and provides an in-house EMAT Training Hub offering nationally-recognised National Professional Qualifications and continuing professional development for staff.

Product overview

East Midlands Academy Trust operates as a multi-academy trust comprising seven schools across Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, serving over 5,000 pupils with more than 600 staff. The trust's portfolio includes four primary schools (Castle Academy, Hardingstone Academy, Orchard Academy, Shepherdswell Academy, Stimpson Avenue Academy), one all-through school (Northampton International Academy with NIA6 sixth form), and one secondary school (Prince William School). The trust provides specialized SEND departments including Aspen, Butterfly Meadow, Caterpillar Pod, and Rosewood for pupils with social communication difficulties and SEMH needs. Supporting services include the EMAT Training Hub offering professional development and NPQ qualifications, while annual programs like the EMAT Olympics, Torch Relay, and Celebration Awards foster community engagement. The trust is structured around core values of inclusion, innovation, and impact, with governance provided by members, trustees, and Local Advisory Boards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Castle Academy A primary school in Northampton, part of East Midlands Academy Trust, offering education from early years through Key Stage 2 with a focus on inclusion and academic excellence.
• Hardingstone Academy A primary school in Northampton committed to helping pupils grow each day, featuring a Forest School programme and a SEND provision.
• Northampton International Academy (NIA) An all-through school in Northampton providing world-class education from primary through secondary, including a dedicated sixth form campus (NIA6) opened in 2024.
• Orchard Academy A primary school in Milton Keynes and founding member of East Midlands Academy Trust, offering high-quality teaching and excellent pastoral care.
• Prince William School A secondary school in Oundle offering a relevant and accessible curriculum for students to realise and exceed their potential, ranked in the top ten state schools in the region by the Sunday Times Parent Power list 2026.
• Shepherdswell Academy A primary school in Milton Keynes providing a broad, enriched curriculum to support children in reaching their full potential.
• Stimpson Avenue Academy A primary school in Northampton where children are valued, supported and encouraged to achieve their personal best through a rich and challenging curriculum.
• Aspen (Social Communication Department) A social communication department at Orchard Academy opened in January 2022 for primary pupils with identified special educational needs.
• Butterfly Meadow (SEND Department) A SEND department for Key Stage 2 pupils with social communication difficulties opened in January 2023 at Hardingstone Academy.
• Caterpillar Pod (SEND Department) A SEND department for Key Stage 2 pupils with social communication difficulties opened in January 2023 at Castle Academy.
• Rosewood (Additional Resource Provision) An additional resource provision for pupils aged 11 to 16 with Social, Emotional and/or Mental Health (SEMH) needs, Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA) and anxiety, opened in September 2025 at Prince William School.
• EMAT Training Hub An in-house training hub providing staff development opportunities including safeguarding training, mental health training, leadership coaching, first aid training, behaviour support training, and SEND coaching. Also available for hire by external organisations for events and training.
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) Nationally-recognised qualifications delivered in partnership with LLSE (Leeds, Lancashire and Shanghai Education), offering NPQ Senior Leadership, NPQ SENDCo, NPQ Leading Teaching, and NPQ Early Years Leadership programmes in-person, online, and via school-based coaching.
• NIA6 (Sixth Form) Dedicated sixth form provision at Northampton International Academy offering Level 3 courses, with students receiving free laptops and study resources. The NIA6 campus officially opened in September 2024.

Quantifiable outcome

• Six of seven schools achieved or retained 'good' Ofsted rating following trust support
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The McCarthy-Dixon FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025NIA hosted The McCarthy-Dixon Foundation's Intergenerational Stories Exhibition, bringing community stories to life in Northamptonshire. Sixth form students also volunteered to help deliver food parcels.
• Mintridge FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2024EMAT partnered with the Mintridge Foundation to offer a mentoring opportunity to 10 students across the trust. The foundation provides athlete mentoring to support student development and aspirations.
• University of NorthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 November 2024EMAT entered a partnership with the University of Northampton to deliver fantastic learning and CPD benefits for staff. The partnership provides teacher training, professional development opportunities, and collaboration on educational initiatives.
• LLSE (Leeds, Lancashire and Shanghai Education)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 20 September 2024EMAT Training Hub delivers National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) on behalf of LLSE, which is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted. NPQs offer nationally-recognised qualifications through in-person, online, and school-based coaching.
• The Diana AwardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2024EMAT partnered with The Diana Award to deliver the Anti-Bullying Programme across trust schools. The Pupil Parliament voted to work with The Diana Award to establish trained Anti-Bullying Ambassador programmes in all schools.
• Harry Kane Foundation and Bounce ForwardminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023Northampton International Academy partnered with the Harry Kane Foundation and charity Bounce Forward to deliver careers and resilience programmes to students.
• West Northamptonshire CouncilcoreOthersEMAT schools follow West Northamptonshire Council's coordinated admission arrangements for pupils residing in the West Northamptonshire area.
• North Northamptonshire CouncilcoreOthersEMAT's Prince William School follows North Northamptonshire Council's coordinated admission arrangements.
• Milton Keynes CouncilcoreOthersOrchard and Shepherdswell Academies follow Milton Keynes Local Authority's coordinated admission arrangements.
• Warwickshire School Admission TeamminorOthersEMAT admissions appeals across all schools are managed by Warwickshire School Admission Team.
• Evolve Church Academy TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMAT was in consultation to welcome Culworth CEVA Primary Academy, Chacombe CEVA Primary Academy, and Boddington C of E Primary Academy from Evolve Church Academy Trust into the EMAT family.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: A very large, established multi-academy trust with a national footprint spanning primary, secondary, and independent schools. A much larger broad incumbent, but a direct comparator on the school-improvement and central-services operating model.
• Star Academies: A large multi-academy trust known for turning around underperforming schools, particularly in the Midlands and North. Comparable school-improvement mandate to EMAT, though at considerably greater scale.
• Oasis Community Learning: A large national multi-academy trust with primary and secondary schools and a strong community/hubs orientation. Comparable in mission model (school + community services), much larger in scale.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): A large, established multi-academy trust running primary and secondary schools across England. Comparable operating model and revenue base (ESFA per-pupil funding), but at substantially larger scale than EMAT.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in England, operating primary and secondary schools nationally. Larger and more geographically dispersed than EMAT but operating the same DfE-funded school-improvement model.

Direct peers

• Greenwood Academies Trust: A Nottingham-based multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands. Closely comparable to EMAT in geography, phase-mix, and scale, with a similar school-improvement mandate in the same regional funding environment.
• Evolve Church Academy Trust: A smaller multi-academy trust in Northamptonshire that is currently in consultation to transfer three of its primary schools into EMAT. Direct peer in geography and size, and a counterparty in EMAT's expansion pipeline.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: A primary-focused multi-academy trust operating dozens of schools across England. Peer on operating model (primary-heavy MAT with central training and school-improvement infrastructure), though somewhat larger than EMAT.
• Mosaic Schools Trust: A multi-academy trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary schools in the Midlands with a school-improvement focus. Similar size and phase mix to EMAT.
• Inspiring Futures Through Learning (IFtL): A smaller, growth-stage multi-academy trust in the East Midlands/Midlands with a comparable mix of primary and all-through schools and a similar school-improvement-onboarding approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/east-midlands-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 East Midlands Academy Trust