Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust

What Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust does

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust (IPAT) is a charitable multi-academy trust (MAT) incorporated in the United Kingdom in 2016, operating nine primary schools across South and West Leicestershire and registered as a mixed Church of England and Community MAT. The trust is governed by a Board of Trustees and operates a central team of approximately 12 staff providing shared services — governance, school improvement, HR, finance, ICT, and estates management — to its member schools. End users are state-funded primary-age children (4–11) and their families; there are no tuition fees and all funding flows through the Department for Education's academy funding formula routed via local authorities.

The trust's core product is primary education delivered through its nine schools, with a centrally provided curriculum built on the CUSP (Curriculum of Unity Schools Partnership) framework. CUSP is positioned as an evidence-informed, expertly sequenced curriculum grounded in Cognitive Load Theory and generative practice principles, and is supplied to IPAT through a partnership with Unity Schools Partnership, which also deploys curriculum leaders to support implementation. Its professional development layer is structured through a CPDL programme and a partnership with the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership (CEFEL) to deliver National Professional Qualifications. The trust's website is built on a Juniper Education platform; there is no proprietary software product, no app, and no public API.

IPAT's revenue model is fundamentally government-grant funded: it is a non-profit charity operating state-funded schools, with no commercial pricing model. Secondary revenue arises from an outward-facing school improvement service offered to schools outside the trust. Geographic reach is regionally constrained to Leicestershire (with limited cross-border Warwickshire exposure), and the strategic posture is incremental expansion via academy conversion rather than M&A or funding rounds. The Diocese of Leicester holds a member-level position, and the trust is a member of the Confederation of School Trusts.

Name

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust

Legal name

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust

Website

https://inspiringprimaries.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust is a UK charitable multi-academy trust operating nine state-funded primary schools across South and West Leicestershire, delivering church and community education via a shared CUSP curriculum and centralised school improvement services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary education services
• School improvement services
• Curriculum and CPD
• Education governance support

Headquarters

HQ city

Gilmorton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academy Trust Funding: As a multi-academy trust, IPAT receives government funding for education provision. The trust operates as a charitable educational organization serving primary schools in Leicestershire.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust is a Church of England and Community multi-academy trust that operates nine primary schools in South and West Leicestershire, delivering state-funded primary education to children aged 4-11. The trust provides central services (governance, school improvement, HR, finance, ICT, and estates) to its member schools and offers an outward-facing school improvement service to schools outside the trust, all underpinned by the CUSP curriculum developed in partnership with Unity Schools Partnership.

Product overview

Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust is a Church of England multi-academy trust comprising nine primary schools in South and West Leicestershire. The Trust provides educational services through its network of schools, offering a shared curriculum developed in partnership with Unity Schools Partnership (CUSP - Curriculum of Unity Schools Partnership). Central services include school improvement support, teaching and learning frameworks, professional development (CPDL), curriculum alignment, and governance support. The Trust's schools serve their local communities while adhering to the Trust's vision of 'enabling all to flourish and succeed.'

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Education (multi-academy trust) State-funded primary education for children aged 4-11 delivered through nine primary schools across South and West Leicestershire, underpinned by the CUSP curriculum and a Church of England and Community ethos.
• CUSP Aligned Curriculum An ambitious, expertly sequenced curriculum developed in partnership with Unity Schools Partnership, providing high-quality curriculum resources designed by curriculum experts to every pupil in IPAT schools.
• School Improvement Service A tiered school improvement offer delivered by IPAT to its own schools and to external schools in the region, including school improvement support, teaching and learning frameworks, and annual review visits.
• Continuing Professional Development and Leadership (CPDL) Programme Structured professional development and leadership pathway for teachers, teaching assistants, school leaders, and support staff across IPAT schools, supporting career progression from early-career to executive leadership.
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) National Professional Qualifications (NPQH, NPQSL, NPQLBC, NPQLT, NPQLTD) delivered in partnership with CEFEL for educational leadership development within the Church of England context.
• Central Services (Governance, HR, Finance, ICT, Estates) Shared central services delivered to IPAT member schools, including governance support, HR, finance, ICT, and estates management, with service-level agreements maintained with Leicestershire County Council for safeguarding and health and safety.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vision recognized by Ofsted: 'The trust leaders have set a clear vision for their schools. This is rooted in the mantra of a desire for pupils and staff at the trust to 'flourish' in their development.'
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, standard and minor.

• Diocese of LeicestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAT is a mixed Church of England and Community Multi Academy Trust, supported by the Diocese of Leicester at member level. The Diocese values and celebrates each school's ethos, distinctiveness and identity, regardless of whether its identity is explicitly Christian or not. Church of England Vision for Education core values of Wisdom, Hope, Community and Dignity inform the trust's approach.
• Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership (CEFEL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for delivering National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) including NPQH, NPQSL, NPQLBC, NPQLT, and NPQLTD. CEFEL is a national organization supporting educational leadership development within the Church of England context.
• Unity Schools PartnershipcoreTechnology or IntegrationThrough this partnership, all IPAT schools have access to the CUSP (Curriculum of Unity Schools Partnership) - an aligned curriculum ensuring every pupil has access to an ambitious and expertly sequenced curriculum. Experienced curriculum leaders are deployed to support implementation.
• Leicestershire County CouncilstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerService level agreements maintained with the Local Authority including Human Resources, Safeguarding and Health and Safety services.
• YMD BoonminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLong-term relationship for architectural and construction projects from design phase through to completion.
• Confederation of School TrustsstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPAT is a member of the Confederation of School Trusts which provides a voice for school trusts, advocates for ethical organisations, builds a culture of system health and connects and supports executive and governance leaders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anglian Learning: Multi-academy trust in the East of England combining primary and secondary schools with a strong emphasis on professional development and curriculum design. Comparable central services and school improvement orientation.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating primary schools across the East Midlands including the Nottingham and Leicester area. Comparable geographic footprint, primary-focused model, and outward-facing school improvement ethos.
• Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust: Church of England multi-academy trust formed by the Diocese of Ely serving primary schools. Comparable CofE identity, diocesan partnership model, and primary-focused portfolio.
• Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust: Faith-based multi-academy trust linked to the Church of England diocese serving primary schools. Closely comparable in faith foundation, primary emphasis, and diocesan governance structure to IPAT.
• Unity Schools Partnership: Larger multi-academy trust in the East of England and IPAT's stated curriculum partner through CUSP. Operates both primary and secondary schools across similar geographies with a comparable central services model, making it the closest functional analogue.
• Learn Academies Trust: Primary-focused multi-academy trust in the East Midlands operating schools across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. Comparable primary-only operating model and central services approach.

Broad incumbents

• Ormiston Academies Trust: Major national multi-academy trust with a diverse portfolio across primary and secondary schools. Useful comparator for scaled central services and outward-facing school improvement operations.
• United Learning: Large national multi-academy trust operating both primary and secondary schools across England. Provides a reference point for scaled central services, governance, and curriculum delivery models.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: Largest primary specialist multi-academy trust in England. Operates 60+ primary schools nationally with strong curriculum and central services offering — a scaled-up reference point for IPAT's growth trajectory.

Regional players

• Aspire Academies Trust: Midlands-based multi-academy trust operating primary schools in a similar regional context to IPAT. Comparable in size, primary focus, and Central England operating geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inspiring-primaries-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Inspiring Primaries Academy Trust