What Hackney New School does

Waterside Academy (formerly Hackney New School) is a state-funded secondary academy located at 317-319 Kingsland Road, Hackney, London, operating within the Community Schools Trust multi-academy trust (Company No: 10337377). The school serves students in Years 7-11 through a full Key Stage 3 and 4 curriculum with GCSE options, and has been led by Headteacher Amy Brown since at least the 2021 rebrand from Hackney New School to Waterside Academy. Its core educational delivery is supported by the DPR (Digital Portfolio and Reporting) Assignment Portal from DPR Education, which students use to access assignments and track academic progress, alongside Parent Mail for school-to-home communications and School Hire for facility lettings.

The school's commercial model is non-tuition: as a UK state academy, revenue is derived from per-pupil funding allocations from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) via the Community Schools Trust, with no fees charged to families. Go-to-market is community-led, relying on the UK academy admissions process, school tours, open days, and earned media coverage in the Hackney Gazette. Customer segments are vertical, comprising secondary school students seeking GCSE preparation and selective-school pathways, and parents/guardians seeking engagement with their children's schooling.

Waterside Academy differentiates on the strength of its 'Planning for extraordinary' positioning, anchored by a prestigious College Programme that has secured full bursaries and scholarships totaling over £150,000 at selective schools including Fulham School (£50,000), City of London School (over £60,000 over two years), and Ashbourne College (£10,000 per term). Employer partnerships with Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and Atkins Real Estate support a careers and work-related learning programme for Year 10 students, while partnerships with the University of Cambridge and Sadler's Wells broaden enrichment. The school received a 'Strong' Ofsted rating across all areas in 2026, described as a 'Beacon of Excellence', building on best-ever GCSE results announced in August 2024.

Name

Hackney New School

Legal name

Community Schools Trust

Website

https://hackneynewschoolcst.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Waterside Academy (formerly Hackney New School) is a state-funded secondary academy in Hackney, London, part of the Community Schools Trust, serving Years 7-11 students with a college placement programme and employer-led careers support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent Charter Schools (Single-Site) (EDAJACAB)

Keywords

• Secondary education services
• State-funded academy
• College placement programme
• GCSE preparation
• Work experience programme

Headquarters

HQ city

Hackney, London

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 Funding (Academy Funding): As a state-funded academy within the Community Schools Trust, Waterside Academy receives funding from the UK government through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Revenue is derived from per-pupil funding allocations based on student enrollment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Waterside Academy (formerly Hackney New School) is a state-funded secondary school delivering free education to students in Years 7-11 in Hackney, London, as part of the Community Schools Trust. The school delivers the national curriculum with GCSE options, a College Programme for selective school placement, careers and work experience learning, and teacher training within the multi-academy trust framework.

Product overview

Waterside Academy operates as a single unified secondary school offering a comprehensive educational programme. The school's core educational offerings include the DPR digital assignment portal for academic management, a prestigious College Programme for scholarship preparation, and integrated Careers and Work Related Learning services. Additional offerings include a Teacher Training Programme for professional development and Summer School with Student Leadership opportunities. The school follows the Community Schools Trust framework and provides curriculum across all Key Stages with GCSE options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education Programme
• College Programme
• Teacher Training Programme
• Summer School
• Careers and Work Related Learning

Quantifiable outcome

• £150,000 in scholarships earned by students at top schools
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• Jesse Dunford Wood (BBC MasterChef)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026BBC MasterChef star visited the school as a guest chef, sharing passion for food and providing cooking expertise during a special cooking session with students.
• BloombergcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Bloomberg volunteers participated in the school's 'Get Ready for Work Experience Day' alongside other major employers, helping Year 10 students learn about life at work and essential workplace skills.
• Goldman SachscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Goldman Sachs volunteers supported the school's careers day by providing insights into career paths in financial services and helping students develop workplace skills.
• JP MorgancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026JP Morgan volunteers contributed to the school's work experience preparation day, sharing expertise and career guidance with Year 10 students.
• Atkins Real EstateminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2026Atkins Real Estate provided volunteers for the school's careers day, offering students perspectives on the real estate industry and professional skills.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Year 10 students visit the University of Cambridge campus to learn about university life, academic pathways, and future educational opportunities.
• Fulham SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Selective independent school that accepted a Waterside Academy student (Khadija) on a full bursary worth £50,000 through the school's college programme.
• City of London SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Selective independent school that awarded a full bursary place worth over £60,000 to Waterside Academy student Michael through the college programme.
• Ashbourne CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026A-level college that awarded a full scholarship worth £10,000 a term to Waterside Academy student Cemre through the prestigious college programme.
• DPR EducationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Digital Portfolio and Reporting education technology platform used by the school for student assignment management and academic tracking.
• Community Schools TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Parent trust organization that oversees Waterside Academy and other schools. Provides shared resources, governance, teacher training, and strategic direction.
• Sadler's WellsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Year 10 students visited Sadler's Wells theatre to learn about Level 3 Extended Diplomas in creative disciplines including dance, hip-hop, music production and theatre performance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sadler's Wells: A London performing-arts venue partnered with Waterside Academy for Level 3 creative diploma pathways. Other peer because it is an ecosystem/enrichment partner rather than a competitor, but materially shapes the school's extracurricular offer.
• DPR Education: The digital portfolio and reporting platform used by Waterside Academy for student assignments. Other peer because it is a vendor/technology partner rather than a competitor, but the platform is part of the school's core academic delivery infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in England operating numerous secondary academies. Broad incumbent because it competes for academy talent and student recruitment at scale across London, but is not single-site and operates a much broader portfolio.
• ARK Academies: A national multi-academy trust running multiple secondary schools including in London. Broad incumbent because it provides an alternative multi-academy trust structure with shared services that competes with CST for teacher talent and policy influence.

Direct peers

• Skinners' Academy: A Hackney secondary academy with a similar state-funded, sixth-form-included model and comparable GCSE/college-preparation focus. Direct peer because it competes for the same student demographic and operates under the same local-authority admissions framework.
• Mossbourne Community Academy: A high-performing Hackney-based secondary academy widely regarded as the benchmark state secondary in the borough. Direct peer because it targets the same Year 7 intake, competes for the same local parent pool, and operates under the same Ofsted framework with similar employer-outreach programmes.
• Forest Gate Community School: A fellow Community Schools Trust member school serving as the trust's registered office. Direct peer because it sits within the same multi-academy trust governance, shares CST back-office and teacher-training infrastructure, and follows an analogous academy operating model.
• London Academy of Excellence (LAE): A selective sixth-form college in Hackney co-sponsored by leading independent schools. Direct peer because it competes for the same high-attaining cohort post-GCSE and offers a parallel 'pathway to top universities' value proposition.

Emerging players

• City of London School: An independent day school in the City of London that has awarded a full bursary to a Waterside Academy student. Emerging-player peer because it operates one step upstream — receiving the school's college-programme graduates — and represents the destination against which the school's placement outcomes are benchmarked.
• Ashbourne College: An independent sixth-form college in Kensington awarding A-level scholarships. Emerging-player peer because it acts as a downstream destination for the college programme and shares the same 'preparation for top universities' mission.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WatersideAcad
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hackney-new-school-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Hackney New School