Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust

What Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust does

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust (charitable company limited by guarantee) formed in April 2019 and headquartered in Hereford. It operates as a platform of five academies — three sixth form colleges (Hereford Sixth Form College, King Edward VI College Stourbridge, Worcester Sixth Form College) and two high schools (The Chantry School, John Kyrle High School) — plus St Mary's RC High School as an Associate Member, serving approximately 8,600 students across Herefordshire and Worcestershire and offering around 120 qualifications.

The Trust operates an in-house technology stack anchored by Portal MIS, a student records Management Information System developed and maintained over more than a decade by its own software engineering team under a Chief Data & Technology Officer. A central team provides shared services across Leadership & Quality Assurance, HR, Finance, Data Protection, IT/Data/Cyber Security, Safeguarding, Marketing and Operations, while individual academies retain their own ethos and branding.

The business model is non-commercial: revenue is generated through Department for Education funding agreements and ESFA returns, comprising per-student allocations and capital funding accessible to MATs of five or more institutions. Growth is executed through acquisition-style onboarding of new academies (subject to DfE due diligence and Regional Schools Commissioner approval) and via formal partnerships such as the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership with the University of Worcester Institute of Education and six peer MATs.

Name

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust

Legal name

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust

Website

https://heartofmercia.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust is a UK charitable Multi-Academy Trust operating five academies (three sixth form colleges and two high schools), serving about 8,600 students in Herefordshire and Worcestershire, funded by Department for Education per-student grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hereford

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: Publicly funded through Department for Education (DfE) funding agreements and ESFA returns. Revenue comes from per-student funding allocations, capital funding, and devolved capital funding available to MATs of five or more institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust operates five member academies delivering secondary and post-16 education to approximately 8,600 students across Herefordshire and Worcestershire. The Trust provides central support services spanning leadership, HR, finance, IT and cyber security, safeguarding, data protection, and marketing, and maintains an in-house student records system (Portal MIS) used across its academies.

Product overview

Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust operates as a platform of five educational academies (three sixth form colleges and two high schools) united under shared governance, values, and central support services. The Trust provides educational services through its member academies and offers central support functions including Leadership & Quality Assurance, Human Resources, Finance, Data Protection, IT, Data & Cyber Security, Safeguarding, and Marketing. The Trust also developed and maintains an in-house student records system (Portal MIS) for centralized data and reporting across its academies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worcester Sixth Form College A sixth form college providing safe and supportive learning environments enabling students to progress to university, apprenticeships, or employment.
• Hereford Sixth Form College A sixth form college focused on students reaching their full academic potential with high levels of individual support and guidance.
• King Edward VI College Stourbridge A sixth form college that aims to inspire the next generation to achieve academic and personal excellence, progressing onto chosen next steps with confidence.
• John Kyrle High School A community secondary school where students are 'Ready, Respectful and Resilient', focused on nurturing wellbeing and preparing students for future opportunities.
• The Chantry School A secondary school providing a secure and caring environment where children thrive through excellent teaching leading to memorable learning.
• Portal MIS An in-house student records management information system developed and maintained by the Trust's technology team, led by the Chief Data & Technology Officer, used for centralized data and reporting across the Trust's academies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Outstanding Ofsted inspection result for Hereford Sixth Form College
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of Worcester Institute of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership partnership connecting CEOs and system leaders across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire. Aims to shape, test and scale innovations that strengthen the education system through four modes: Connecting, Aligning, Learning and Making.
• Black Pear TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership. Partnership focuses on building trust, professional generosity, and generating collective capacity to innovate across educational settings.
• Mercian Educational TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership. Partnership involves exploring, testing and integrating innovations through cross-MAT sub-groups.
• New Education Trust (formerly Bengeworth Academy Trust)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership working on collaborative approaches to education system improvement.
• The Rivers CofE Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership contributing to collective capacity building across MATs.
• Central Region Schools TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership working on system leadership and improvement models.
• The Shires MATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEO Member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership contributing to regional collaboration and innovation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• New Education Trust: A Worcestershire-based Multi-Academy Trust (formerly Bengeworth Academy Trust) and fellow member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership. Direct geographic overlap and similar acquisition-led growth approach.
• The Shires MAT: A Midlands Multi-Academy Trust operating multiple secondary and primary schools. It is a fellow member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership, sharing the same regional operating model and competing for member schools.
• Central Region Schools Trust: A regional Multi-Academy Trust operating secondary schools in central England. It is part of the same system-leadership consortium and is a comparable peer for size, governance structure, and growth strategy.
• The Rivers CofE Academy Trust: A faith-affiliated Multi-Academy Trust operating across the West Midlands region. It is a co-member of the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership and overlaps geographically with Heart of Mercia's expansion plans.
• Mercian Educational Trust: A regional Multi-Academy Trust with a similar secondary and post-16 footprint in the West Midlands. Like Heart of Mercia, it is part of the same CEO-level system leadership consortium and competes for academy conversions in the same geography.
• Black Pear Trust: A West Midlands Multi-Academy Trust operating a comparable mix of primary and secondary academies. It is a co-participant in the Collaborative Innovation Group for System Leadership alongside Heart of Mercia, making it the closest geographic and structural peer.

Emerging players

• Reach Academy Trust: A smaller, growing Multi-Academy Trust in the West Midlands with an emerging track record. Less mature than Heart of Mercia but operating in overlapping geographies and competing for similar school conversions.

Broad incumbents

• Greenwood Academies Trust: A national Multi-Academy Trust running primary and secondary schools across multiple English regions. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint than Heart of Mercia, with a comparable central-support operating model.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: One of the largest national Multi-Academy Trusts in England, operating dozens of secondary and primary academies. Significantly larger than Heart of Mercia, but competes for the same academy conversions and represents the benchmark large-MAT operating model.
• Academy Transformation Trust: A large national Multi-Academy Trust with secondary and further-education academies across England. Comparable central-services model but at materially greater scale, representing both a competitor and a reference point for further growth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heart-of-mercia-multi-academy-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Heart of Mercia Multi-Academy Trust