John Mason School

What John Mason School does

John Mason School is a state-funded secondary academy located on Wootton Road in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, operating as part of the Abingdon Learning Trust multi-academy trust. The school serves students from Year 7 through Year 13, including a separately branded sixth form provision (JMF6) offering A-Level equivalents in subjects such as Psychology, Business, Criminology, and Sociology. Year 7 intake comprises six tutor groups of approximately thirty students each, implying total enrolment of roughly 1,200–1,400 pupils across the seven year groups. The school's stated mission centres on inclusive education — ensuring all children and young people, regardless of background, ability or circumstances, can thrive — delivered through a layered pastoral structure with Progress Leaders and Progress Managers per year group, dedicated welfare officers, a School Counsellor, School Nurse, and Home School Link Worker.

The school's operations rest on a conventional educational technology stack: Google Workspace for Education and Google Classroom for learning management, Bromcom for homework management (Years 7–11), My Child at School (MCAS) for parent communication and cashless catering topped up by parents, a biometric fingerprint authentication system for canteen payments, and the Unifrog platform for careers guidance covering over 1,000 career pathways. Beyond core curriculum delivery, the school operates several ancillary offerings: The Diner in-house catering (led by Catering Manager Justin Sercombe, supplied by local butcher Hedges), which also provides meals services to four external primary schools (Dunmore, Clifton Hampden, Kingfisher, Rush Common); Duke of Edinburgh Award programme at Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels; Welsh Farm — a residential outdoor learning centre in Pumpsaint, West Wales (Troedrhiwgellifawr) acquired by the John Mason Association in 1969 — used for Year 8 residentials, DofE expeditions, star-gazing trips, and revision weekends, and also available for private hire sleeping up to 36 guests; and a careers programme mapped to the Gatsby Benchmarks framework.

The revenue model is predominantly statutory: the school receives per-pupil funding from the Department for Education via Oxfordshire local authority under the Education Act 1996, with tuition provided free at the point of use. Supplementary transactional revenue is generated through facility hire (sports hall, gymnasium, main hall, classrooms), Welsh Farm private hire, and The Diner catering services to external schools. The school is governed by a Local Academy Board and accredited under the Abingdon Learning Trust, with the John Mason Association (JMA) functioning as a separate parent-teacher body that owns Welsh Farm and fundraises for equipment. The school is GDPR-compliant, holds the Computing at School Lead School designation, is a three-time national winner of the CSTT Schools Competition, and received the Oxfordshire County Music Service Award for Innovation in School Music in 2019.

Name

John Mason School

Legal name

John Mason School

Website

https://johnmason.oxon.sch.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

John Mason School is a state-funded secondary academy in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, part of the Abingdon Learning Trust, serving approximately 1,200–1,400 pupils from Year 7 through Sixth Form (JMF6), with in-house catering extended to four external schools and a residential outdoor learning centre in West Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Secondary education services
• Sixth form education
• School catering services
• Outdoor education programs
• Careers education guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Abingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: Government-funded secondary education through the Education Act 1996, receiving statutory funding from the Department for Education via local authority
2. Facility Hire: Hiring out school facilities including sports hall, gymnasium, main hall and classrooms to the community for private events and meetings outside school hours
3. Welsh Farm Hire: Residential retreat available for hire to friends of John Mason School, sleeping up to 36 guests with games room and countryside activities
4. Catering Services: In-house catering operation 'The Diner' providing school meals, also serving Dunmore, Clifton Hampden, Kingfisher and Rush Common schools

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

John Mason School delivers state-funded secondary education to students in Years 7-13 (ages 11-18) in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, including GCSE preparation and post-16 A-Level provision through its JMF6 Sixth Form. The school operates a comprehensive academic curriculum across core subjects, modern foreign languages, arts, and vocational pathways, complemented by pastoral support, careers education, Duke of Edinburgh Award, and an extensive extra-curricular programme.

Product overview

John Mason School is a secondary school in Abingdon, Oxfordshire offering a comprehensive educational programme from Years 7 through Sixth Form (JMF6). The core offering comprises the main school curriculum for Years 7-11 covering academic subjects alongside enrichment activities. Extensions include the JMF6 Sixth Form providing post-16 qualifications, the Welsh Farm outdoor education centre in Wales, in-house catering services operating across multiple schools, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award programme. The school also provides careers education, inclusion support services, and an extensive extra-curricular activities programme. Technology integration includes Google Suite for Education, MCAS for cashless operations, Bromcom for homework management, and Unifrog for careers guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JMF6: John Mason Sixth Form - the school's post-16 education provision

Products and services

• Main School Curriculum (Years 7-11)
• JMF6 Sixth Form
• The Diner (In-House Catering)
• Welsh Farm (Troedrhiwgellifawr) Outdoor Residential Centre
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme
• Careers Education and Work Experience
• Inclusion and SEND Support
• Community Facility Hire

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Abingdon Learning TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn Mason School is an academy within the Abingdon Learning Trust multi-academy trust. The trust provides governance, shared services, and strategic direction. Annual reports and trust information available at abingdonlearningtrust.org.
• UnifrogcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline platform purchased by John Mason School for students to research careers (1000+ jobs), support option choices in Year 9, work experience in Year 10 & 12, and post-16 choices.
• Hedges (Local Butcher)minorOthersLocal butcher supplying fresh meat for The Diner catering operation. Menus are freshly prepared on site following government nutritional standards.
• John Mason Association (JMA)coreOthersParent-teacher association (PTA) known as 'friends of John Mason School'. Owns and runs the Welsh Farm. Raises funds for school minibuses, netball kit, stage curtains, and other equipment. Committee of parents and staff.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ormiston Academies Trust: National multi-academy trust operating a network of secondary and primary academies. Relevant as a broader-sector incumbent against which smaller academy trusts like Abingdon Learning Trust are benchmarked.
• United Learning: Large multi-academy trust running a portfolio of state-funded schools across England. Comparable as a broader structural alternative to the small Abingdon Learning Trust model that John Mason School sits within.
• Abingdon Learning Trust: The multi-academy trust that operates John Mason School and other partner schools. Acts as the umbrella organisation providing governance, shared services, and strategic direction across the trust's schools.

Direct peers

• The Oxford Academy: Academy secondary school in Oxford serving a broadly similar 11–18 age range. Comparable as a state-funded academy model with a multi-academy trust structure analogous to Abingdon Learning Trust.
• Larkmead School: Abingdon-based secondary school offering mainstream education to a comparable age range, competing for the same local pupil intake and overlapping on curriculum and extracurricular provision.
• St Helen and St Katharine: Abingdon secondary school with a sixth form, similar in profile to John Mason School's main school and JMF6 sixth form offerings, and operating in the same immediate Oxfordshire catchment.
• Didcot Girls' School: Oxfordshire secondary school with sixth form, comparable in size and offer to John Mason School, and competing for the wider South Oxfordshire secondary-age cohort.
• Fitzharrys School: Co-educational secondary school located in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, serving a similar 11–18 age range and competing directly for the same Abingdon catchment. Operates as the closest geographic and demographic peer to John Mason School.

Regional players

• Henry Box School: Witney-based secondary school in Oxfordshire, serving a similar 11–18 cohort but in a different town. Comparable on curriculum and catchment dynamics, though not directly competing in the Abingdon immediate area.
• Wallingford School: Secondary school in South Oxfordshire with a sixth form, comparable in size and curriculum mix to John Mason School but operating in a different locality within the same county.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1Gy2iUWYJP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/john-mason-school-abingdon

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 John Mason School