Greater Manchester Education Trust

What Greater Manchester Education Trust does

Greater Manchester Education Trust (GMET) is a UK multi-academy trust (charitable company limited by guarantee, company number 08913502) that operates a network of seven schools across Greater Manchester: Alexandra Park Primary School, Levenshulme High School, Parrs Wood High School, Parrs Wood Sixth Form College, The East Manchester Academy, Whalley Range 11-18 High School, and Whalley Range Sixth Form College. The trust came into existence in September 2022, succeeding the Education and Leadership Trust, and serves a student population characterized by a highly diverse academic, social, and ethnic profile. GMET is governed by a Board of Trustees led by Chair Suzannah Reeves and CEO Damian Owen (25+ years of teaching/leadership experience, NPQH/NPQEL qualified), with executive leadership including CFO Louise Staunton. The trust is preparing to expand its cross-phase footprint with additional Primary schools.

The trust's core technology stack is built on standard UK education sector administrative tooling: SIMS (Schools Information Management System) for secure student data management with role-based access controls, Microsoft 365 for cloud productivity and student email/learning materials, Microsoft Teams for meetings and webinars, and Cyber Essentials-certified server infrastructure for data protection compliance with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. GMET has also launched a portfolio of digital resources for parents, including the Digital Parenting section (online safety guidance) and the SWOT for Exams resource. The trust operates a quarterly Community Newsletter (nine editions published through Summer 2026) and maintains an active presence on X/Twitter and Bluesky.

GMET's revenue model is government-funded: the trust receives funding from the UK Department for Education (DfE) through per-academy funding agreements, with regular reporting obligations to DfE and other government bodies. As state education is free at the point of use, there are no tuition fees; the trust may operate optional paid enrichment activities but does not publicly disclose commercial pricing. Beyond core pupil funding, GMET has begun generating secondary programmatic revenue streams through partnerships: it acts as lead provider (in collaboration with the Church of England) for the National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD), and is a founding Trust in the Inclusive Leaders program. Staff are supported via a comprehensive benefits package including Teachers Pension Scheme, Employee Assistance Programme, and Health Shield healthcare cash plan.

Name

Greater Manchester Education Trust

Legal name

Greater Manchester Education Trust

Website

https://gmetrust.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Greater Manchester Education Trust is a UK state-funded multi-academy trust operating seven primary, secondary, and sixth form academies across Greater Manchester, serving a diverse student population under Department for Education funding agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: The trust receives government funding from the Department for Education (DfE) through funding agreements with each academy. Most information collected is required by law, with regular reports sent to DfE and other government bodies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Greater Manchester Education Trust operates a multi-academy trust of seven state-funded schools delivering primary, secondary, and sixth form education across Greater Manchester. Beyond core schooling, the trust provides governance oversight, professional development programs (including the NPQLTD teacher development qualification and the Inclusive Leaders program), and online safety/digital parenting resources to students, families, and educators.

Product overview

Greater Manchester Education Trust operates a multi-academy network providing secondary, primary, and sixth form education across Greater Manchester. The trust offers educational services through seven academies including Alexandra Park Primary School, Levenshulme High School, Parrs Wood High School, Parrs Wood Sixth Form College, The East Manchester Academy, Whalley Range 11-18 High School, and Whalley Range Sixth Form College. Supporting the core educational offering, the trust provides professional development programs (NPQLTD Teacher Development Program, Inclusive Leaders Program), digital safety resources (Digital Parenting, SWOT for Exams), governance services, and staff benefits. The trust also publishes a quarterly community newsletter and maintains news channels covering trust-wide initiatives and school activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Academy Schools Network A network of seven state-funded academies in Greater Manchester delivering primary, secondary, and sixth form education to a diverse student population. The academies include Alexandra Park Primary School, Levenshulme High School, Parrs Wood High School, Parrs Wood Sixth Form College, The East Manchester Academy, Whalley Range 11-18 High School, and Whalley Range Sixth Form College.
• NPQLTD Teacher Development Program National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development program delivered by GMET in partnership with the Church of England through a bespoke flex format combining online and face-to-face sessions. Aimed at educators seeking formal qualification in leading teacher development.
• Inclusive Leaders Program Professional development program equipping school and Trust leaders with tools to create inclusive workplaces where every adult can flourish. Led by people development expert Mandy Coalter with GMET as a founding Trust partner.
• Trust Governance Services Comprehensive governance framework including Board of Trustees, Local Academy Committees, policy management, annual reports, funding agreements, and scheme of delegation. Supports academy-level leadership and accountability across the trust.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful school improvement with consistent achievement across all backgrounds

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BLISS (Baby Loss and Infertility In School Support)minorOthers · 10 May 2025BLISS was founded by Sarah Lyons at Parrs Wood High School and provides support and advocacy to colleagues across GMET schools who have experienced infertility and baby loss. The organization conducts memory walks and provides a supportive community for staff wellbeing.
• Teacher Development Trust (TDT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 April 2025Sam Gibbs, GMET's Lead for Curriculum and Development, was invited to join TDT's expert working group exploring what is unique about 'the teaching of teachers'. The group aims to develop a common language for teacher training and professional development.
• Inclusive Leaders ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025GMET is a founding Trust on the Inclusive Leaders program, led by Mandy Coalter. The program equips school leaders with tools to create inclusive workplaces where every adult can flourish. Eight leaders from across GMET schools participate.
• Church of EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 February 2025GMET is the lead provider for National Professional Qualification for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) in collaboration with the Church of England. Together they created a bespoke flex program delivered by expert GMET staff through online and face-to-face sessions.
• Microsoft 365coreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft 365 is used across the trust for student email accounts, cloud storage, and access to learning materials. Data is stored in Microsoft servers within the trust's secure tenancy.
• SIMS (Schools Information Management System)coreTechnology or IntegrationSIMS is the main storage system for personal data in the trust, a secure management information system based in each school with role-based access controls for staff.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Academy Transformation Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary academies across the Midlands and East of England. Comparable to GMET in operating a state-funded cross-phase academy network with a similar scale of central oversight.
• Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools across England with a strong focus on character education and professional development. Comparable to GMET as a state-funded cross-phase MAT.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating a national network of primary and secondary academies. Comparable to GMET as a state-funded MAT running cross-phase schools with a similar governance and DfE funding model.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary academies, particularly in the Midlands and East of England. Comparable to GMET in operating a state-funded cross-phase academy network with central trust governance.
• E-ACT: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies across England. Comparable to GMET in running a DfE-funded cross-phase academy network under a central trust governance structure.
• TKAT (The Kemnal Academies Trust): Large multi-academy trust operating primary, secondary, and all-through academies across southern and central England. Comparable to GMET in MAT structure, DfE funding reliance, and cross-phase educational provision.
• Dixons Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust running primary, secondary, and sixth-form academies, primarily in Bradford and surrounding regions. Comparable to GMET in operating a regional cross-phase MAT with strong school improvement focus.
• Reach Foundation (formerly Academies Enterprise Trust): Multi-academy trust operating a national network of primary, secondary, and special schools. Comparable to GMET as a state-funded cross-phase MAT operating under DfE oversight with a school-improvement mission.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust operating primary, secondary, and sixth-form academies across England with strong teacher-training and professional-development programs. Comparable to GMET in operating model but at significantly larger scale.
• United Learning: Major UK multi-academy trust running both state-funded academies and independent schools across primary, secondary, and sixth form phases. Comparable to GMET in cross-phase academy operation but at much greater scale and geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Trust_GMET
• Instagrambsky.app/profile/gmetrust.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gmetrust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Greater Manchester Education Trust