What Hethersett Academy does

Hethersett Academy is a UK state secondary school (academy) located on Queen's Road in Hethersett, Norwich, Norfolk, serving students aged 11-16 across Years 7-11 and preparing them for GCSE qualifications. The school delivers a comprehensive academic curriculum covering English, mathematics, and a broad range of GCSE subjects, supported by enrichment programmes in music, drama, sport, design and technology, and student journalism through The Hethersett Press. Notable technical and specialist facilities include a 3D Printing Lab and a Digital Pipe Organ, with the Design & Technology department recognised as a regional hub and national award winner.

The school is rated Outstanding by Ofsted in all areas (rating confirmed November 3, 2022) and reported 62% of students achieving Grade 5 or above in English & maths at GCSE, with 85% of all subjects achieving 9-4 grades (August 2023 results). It holds an Artsmark Gold Award (April 2025), Design and Technology Association Hub School status for Norfolk (May 2026), and was named Secondary School of the Year within the Inspiration Trust network (October 2024).

Hethersett Academy operates as part of the Inspiration Trust family of 14 schools across Norfolk and North Suffolk, with governance, capital investment, and shared programmes delivered through the Trust. Revenue is derived primarily from UK government per-pupil funding routed through the Trust, supplemented by ancillary income streams including school meals, uniform sales, music lessons, facility hire, and event ticketing. The current Principal is Jane Diver, who took over from Gareth Stevens at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year.

Name

Hethersett Academy

Legal name

Hethersett Academy

Website

https://hethersettacademy.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hethersett Academy is an Ofsted Outstanding UK state secondary school in Norwich serving students aged 11-16, part of the Inspiration Trust network of 14 schools, delivering GCSE education alongside music, drama, sport, and award-winning design and technology programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hethersett, Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hethersett Academy is a UK state-funded secondary school that delivers full-time education to students aged 11-16 (Years 7-11) preparing for GCSE qualifications. Its core offering combines an academic curriculum with an extensive enrichment programme including music scholarships, drama and theatre productions, a nationally recognised Design and Technology programme, sports, and student journalism (The Hethersett Press). The school is part of the Inspiration Trust network of 14 schools across Norfolk and North Suffolk and is rated Outstanding by Ofsted in all areas.

Product overview

Hethersett Academy is a secondary school offering a comprehensive educational programme consisting of an academic curriculum leading to GCSE qualifications, complemented by extensive enrichment activities including music scholarships, drama productions, sports programmes, and student journalism (The Hethersett Press). The school operates as part of the Inspiration Trust family of schools and is Ofsted-rated Outstanding. The core offering combines academic excellence with cultural and sporting opportunities, supported by award-winning departments in Design and Technology and a teacher training programme.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hethersett Academy Academic Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• 62% of students achieved Grade 5 or above in English & maths
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Inspiration TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHethersett Academy is part of the Inspiration Trust family of schools, a network of 14 schools across Norfolk and North Suffolk. The Trust provides centralized leadership, shared resources, professional development, music programmes, sports tournaments, and Trust-wide events. The Trust has invested significantly in the school, including funding for a new teaching block and theatre.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nord Anglia Education: Global operator of premium international schools. Comparable at a category level as a school network operator but operates in a different funding model (fee-paying) and geography, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor.
• GEMS Education: Large international K-12 schools operator. Comparable as an established school group with curriculum and enrichment specialisms, but operates primarily on a fee-paying basis outside the UK state system.
• Cognita Schools: Global group of independent and international schools. Comparable as a multi-school operator with shared curriculum and enrichment models, but does not operate within the UK state-funded academy sector.

Direct peers

• Notre Dame High School, Norwich: Norwich-based secondary school with a faith-related ethos but publicly funded admissions. Comparable in geography, age range, and curriculum model, and competes with Hethersett in the Norwich parental choice set.
• Wymondham High School: State secondary school serving the Wymondham area of Norfolk. Directly comparable to Hethersett Academy as a neighbouring Norfolk secondary school competing for a similar Year 7 intake and operating under the same local authority and Ofsted inspection regime.
• Taverham High School: State secondary school on the outskirts of Norwich. Operates with a similar Norfolk-based, government-funded model and competes with Hethersett for students from the greater Norwich area, making it a relevant operational and admissions peer.
• Reepham High School: Norfolk state secondary school in a similar rural town context to Hethersett. Comparable in catchment demographics, funding model, and curriculum offering, making it a close local peer for admissions competition and benchmarking.
• City Academy Norwich: Academy secondary school within the Norwich urban area. Comparable as a Norfolk academy offering secondary education with GCSE pathways and operating under the same Ofsted and DfE accountability framework as Hethersett.

Others

• Ormiston Academies Trust: UK multi-academy trust running a portfolio of secondary academies. Comparable as an alternative trust operator competing for school sponsorship and providing a benchmark for network-level capability, funding, and outcomes.
• United Learning: Large UK multi-academy trust operating schools across primary and secondary phases. Comparable as an organisational peer to Inspiration Trust in providing centralised governance, shared services, and cross-school programmes that benefit Hethersett's network model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AcadHethersett
• Facebookfacebook.com/AcadHethersett
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hethersettacademy

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Hethersett Academy