What Harris City Academy Crystal Palace does

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a publicly funded secondary school and Sixth Form operating as an academy within the Harris Federation multi-academy trust, located in Crystal Palace, London (Maberley Rd, SE19 2JH). The academy serves approximately 1,200-1,260 students aged 11-18, comprising five secondary year groups (Years 7-11) and a two-year Sixth Form (Years 12-13), with 180 students admitted per Year 7 cohort through a banded selection process administered via the Croydon Local Authority eAdmissions system. The institution receives over 2,000 applications annually for 180 places, indicating sustained demand oversubscription. There is no tuition fee; revenue is derived from government per-pupil funding routed through the local authority and national education budgets.

The core offering is academic education aligned to the National Curriculum, with a stated emphasis on traditional standards (uniform, discipline, respect) combined with modern curriculum delivery. Sixth Form students pursue A-Levels and CTEC qualifications, with reported outcomes including 42% A*-B grades at A-Level, 79.3% GCSE 4+ pass rate, and 20% of students securing places at Russell Group universities including Cambridge. The product surface is extended by a Football Academy (Kinetic Foundation partnership), Basketball Academy (Harris Federation Knights and Greenhouse Basketball), a Teaching School Hub, and enrichment clubs (Robotics, Chess, Creative Writing, Art). Core technology is characterized as an educational technology platform, though no proprietary technologies, AI capabilities, APIs, or patents are disclosed. The academy has 78 employees, is led by Principal Samuel Rigby, and holds four consecutive Outstanding Ofsted judgments, most recently in April 2025.

The business model is government-funded managed services with no fee charged to end users. Distribution is through the statutory local authority admissions process, with secondary marketing channels comprising the school website, X/Twitter, Instagram, email newsletters, and open events. Employer partnerships with Deloitte, Microsoft, Turner and Townsend, and Behind Every Kick provide work experience and degree apprenticeship pathways. The academy's parent company is Harris Federation; the school was originally founded in 1990 as Harris City Technology College, converted to academy status in 2007, and celebrated its 35th anniversary in November 2025.

Name

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

Legal name

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

Website

https://harriscrystalpalace.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a publicly funded secondary school and Sixth Form in London, serving approximately 1,200 students aged 11-18. Operating under the Harris Federation, it delivers National Curriculum education, sports academies, and employer-linked apprenticeships, sustained by government per-pupil funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Secondary education services
• Sixth form education
• Academic curriculum
• Teacher training programs
• School enrichment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Education: Publicly funded secondary school and Sixth Form providing free education to students. Revenue derived from government educational funding via local authority and national education budgets.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a state-funded mixed secondary school and Sixth Form located in Crystal Palace, London, providing free education to students aged 11-18 across Years 7-13. The academy delivers the National Curriculum alongside A-Level and CTEC qualifications, supported by specialist Sports Academies (Football and Basketball), a Teaching School Hub, Enrichment Clubs, pastoral and safeguarding programs, and pathways to Russell Group universities and competitive apprenticeships.

Product overview

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace operates as a mixed secondary school and Sixth Form within the Harris Federation. The institution offers a unified educational service comprising secondary education (Years 7-11), Sixth Form provision (Years 12-13), and specialized add-on programs including Sports Academies (Football via Kinetic Foundation partnership, Basketball), a Teaching School Hub, and Enrichment Clubs. The core offering centers on academic achievement with an emphasis on traditional standards while providing modern education for workplace success.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education (Years 7-11)
• Sixth Form (Years 12-13)
• Football Academy
• Basketball Academy
• Teaching School Hub
• Enrichment Clubs

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% A*-B grades at A-Level; 87% Distinction*-Distinction for CTEC; 79.3% GCSE 4+ pass rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• BRIT School, Rambert Company, and Croydon Schools' Dance AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint pilot programme launched to find, train, and elevate the next generation of diverse dance talent in Croydon. The initiative offers high-quality dance training with scholarship places to selected students from local schools.
• Kinetic FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Kinetic Foundation delivers a football and education programme for 16-18 year olds at HCACP. The partnership offers first-class coaching, volunteering programmes, mentoring schemes, mental health support, and employability workshops. Over 50 students enrolled in the first year. Kinetic has helped 37 young people secure professional football contracts in six seasons.
• DeloitteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Students complete work experience programmes at Deloitte, gaining professional experience and career insights.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Students complete work experience programmes at Microsoft and have secured degree apprenticeships at Microsoft as Solution Engineers for Cloud and AI.
• Harris FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1990The academy is part of the Harris Federation, a network of primary and secondary academies across London. Lord Harris of Peckham supported the school's founding in 1990, and the academy helped pave the way for the Harris Federation. The federation provides centralized services, teacher training, and educational resources.
• Harris Federation KnightsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide U18 National League Club basketball through the Harris Federation Knights, offering regular weekend fixtures for student athletes.
• Behind Every KickminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany delivers employability workshops and skills-building seminars to support student career development.
• Turner and TownsendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents have secured degree apprenticeships at Turner and Townsend for Level 6 Quantity Surveying.
• Greenhouse BasketballminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBasketball coaching partnership supporting the Harris Federation Basketball Academy with specialized coaching and development programmes.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• St Olave's Grammar School: Selective grammar school in Orpington, South East London, with strong academic outcomes and high oversubscription. Comparable to HCACP as a high-performing selective London state school competing for similar families, with geographic proximity to Croydon.
• Harris Academy South Norwood: Another Croydon-based Harris Federation secondary academy. Directly comparable as a sibling secondary school operating under the same federation, sharing governance and resource models while competing for similar Croydon pupils.
• Wilson's School: A high-performing selective state secondary school in Sutton, South London, regularly among the UK's top state schools for GCSE and A-Level results. Directly comparable to HCACP as an oversubscribed, academically elite London state secondary competing for similar high-achieving South London families.
• Tiffin School: Selective boys' grammar school in Kingston upon Thames with a strong record of GCSE and A-Level outcomes feeding top universities. Comparable to HCACP as an oversubscribed London state secondary competing on academic excellence for high-achieving South West London families.
• Henrietta Barnett School: Selective girls' grammar school in Hampstead, North London, consistently one of the UK's top state schools for GCSE and A-Level results. Comparable to HCACP as a heavily oversubscribed academically elite London state secondary, though in a different catchment.
• Nonsuch High School for Girls: Selective girls' grammar school in Sutton with consistent top-tier GCSE and A-Level performance. Directly comparable to HCACP as a South London oversubscribed state secondary competing for the same academically selective family segment.
• Sutton Grammar School: Selective boys' grammar school in Sutton, regularly among England's top-performing state schools for attainment. Comparable to HCACP as a high-attainment, oversubscribed South London state secondary with similar league-table positioning.
• Harris Academy Purley: Sibling academy within the Harris Federation, also serving Croydon. Comparable as a state-funded secondary within the same multi-academy trust, sharing centralised services, branding, and governance models, though with different performance levels.

Regional players

• BRIT School: Free performing-arts school in Croydon with a national catchment, named as an HCACP partner. Comparable as a high-demand, free Croydon state secondary/post-16 provider, though specialising in performing arts rather than traditional academics.
• King's College School, Wimbledon: Independent boys' school in Wimbledon with exceptional GCSE/A-Level outcomes and high Russell Group progression. Comparable to HCACP as a South London school competing for top-decile families, though fee-paying rather than state-funded.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hcacp
• Instagraminstagram.com/harriscrystalpalace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harris-city-academy-crystal-palace

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 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 Harris City Academy Crystal Palace