Learning Academies Trust
Learning Academies Trust is a Plymouth-based Multi-Academy Trust operating 18 primary schools and 12 nurseries, educating ~5,500 children through centralized ICT, HR, finance, and curriculum services funded by UK government per-pupil grants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersPlymouth, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Learning Academies Trust does
Learning Academies Trust (LAT) is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) headquartered in Plymouth, United Kingdom, established in late 2016. It operates 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings, educating approximately 5,500 children and employing over 900 staff. The Trust provides centralized services across ICT, HR, Finance, Estates, Education, and Curriculum to its member schools, standardizing operations and enabling per-pupil cost efficiencies that standalone schools cannot achieve independently. LAT is led by CEO Simon Spry and is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Debbie Taylor (appointed August 2023).
LAT operates as a non-profit entity funded primarily through UK government per-pupil grants routed via the Education and Skills Funding Agency, supplemented by capital grants from Department for Education programmes such as the Condition Improvement Fund (~£2M over three years) and the Connect the Classroom grant (£192K). It has additionally built international partnerships with schools in South Africa (Cape Town), Ghana, China, Spain, Romania, and Sweden to extend curriculum and cultural-exchange programmes. In 2023, LAT merged with Horizon MAT, materially expanding its footprint and consolidating additional schools under a single trust structure.
LAT's core operating model is centralized service delivery: a shared back office supports school-level teaching staff with common ICT infrastructure (built on a Microsoft technology stack with security, filtering, and collaboration tooling), curriculum design, HR, and finance functions. The Trust has earned accreditations including the Wellbeing at Work Bronze award (2020) and the Online Safety Mark. Customer concentration on a single government payer is near-total, which provides revenue stability but limits commercial optionality.
Learning Academies Trust firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Learning Academies Trust
- Legal name
- Learning Academies Trust
- Website
- https://learningat.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Learning Academies Trust is a Plymouth-based Multi-Academy Trust operating 18 primary schools and 12 nurseries, educating ~5,500 children through centralized ICT, HR, finance, and curriculum services funded by UK government per-pupil grants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Learning Academies Trust industry classification
Industry- Product category
- K-12 Primary Education (Multi-Academy Trust)
- NAICS
- Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Nursery School Readiness & Transition Programs (EDACACAL)
Keywords
Where Learning Academies Trust is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plymouth
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Learning Academies Trust business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Government School Funding (ESFA): Core funding from Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for running 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings. Includes pupil-led funding, schools block, and other DfE grants
- Condition Improvement Fund (CIF): DfE competitive bid funding for school estate improvements. Trust has secured nearly £2M worth of CIF funding over the last 3 years
- Connect the Classroom Grant: DfE grant awarded over £192,000 for networking infrastructure upgrades across schools
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Learning Academies Trust product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Learning Academies Trust delivers state-funded primary and nursery education to approximately 5,500 children across 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings in Plymouth through a Multi-Academy Trust model. The trust operates central support services — Education, ICT, HR, Finance, Estates, and Curriculum — that provide member schools with centralized technology infrastructure, financial management, HR, estates maintenance, and a shared curriculum resource repository ('The Brain'). All education is delivered free at the point of use, funded primarily by the ESFA and DfE grants.
Product overview
Learning Academies Trust is an 18-school primary Multi-Academy Trust based in Plymouth, UK, operating as a non-profit educational organization. Rather than a software product company, the Trust provides educational services and centralised support functions to its member schools. The core offering consists of Educational Services delivered across 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings, supported by centralised ICT Services (technical support, infrastructure, cybersecurity, remote learning via Microsoft Teams), Human Resources Services (recruitment, payroll, wellbeing programs), Finance Services (budgeting, procurement, compliance), Estates Services (health and safety, maintenance, grant funding), and Curriculum Services (collaboratively developed curriculum with shared resources). The Trust's online platform at learningat.uk serves as the primary information portal for parents, staff, and stakeholders.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Plymouth Teachers and Schools Alliance (PTSA): A teaching school alliance that provides Initial Teacher Education, School Direct Programme, School to School Improvement work, leadership and teacher professional development. LAT is affiliated with this organization.
Products and services
- Educational Services Core educational delivery across 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings serving approximately 5,500 Plymouth children aged 3-11, led by the MAT Senior Leadership Team and Directors of Education. State-funded, free at the point of use.
- ICT Services Centralised information technology support including technical helpdesk, hybrid-cloud network infrastructure management, cybersecurity operations (CIRT), remote learning delivery via Microsoft Teams, and ICT strategic planning for the trust's 18 member schools.
- Human Resources Services Centralised HR support covering recruitment, payroll processing, employee wellbeing programmes (Wellbeing at Work Bronze Award, January 2020), casework management, and professional development qualifications for the trust's 900+ staff.
- Finance Services Centralised finance operations including budget preparation and monitoring, procurement, statutory compliance, internal audit processes, payroll processing, and pension administration for the trust's schools.
- Estates Services Centralised premises management including health and safety compliance, maintenance, Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) and grant funding applications (trust has secured nearly £2M via CIF over the last 3 years), and 5-10 year strategic asset planning across the trust's 18 schools.
- Curriculum Services Collaboratively developed curriculum across LAT schools with over 130 staff involved in research, design, and implementation, including a central resource repository ('the brain') for teaching materials shared across the trust.
- Plymouth Teachers and Schools Alliance (PTSA) Teaching school alliance providing Initial Teacher Education, the School Direct Programme, school-to-school improvement support, leadership development, and teacher professional development. Delivered in conjunction with LAT and supports a neighbouring MAT of 22 primary and secondary schools.
Companies that use Learning Academies Trust
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Learning Academies Trust technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Learning Academies Trust partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- British CouncilcoreActive partnership through Connecting Classrooms programme. LAT schools have established links with schools in Cape Town, South Africa (8 schools now linked), Ghana (Mayflower and Shakespeare schools), and participates in international educational projects
- Microsoftcore
- Smoothwallcore
- SWGfL (Safety Working Group)minor
- Plymouth Teachers and Schools Alliance (PTSA)core
- Department for Education (DfE)core
- Plymouth City Councilcore
- International Partner Schools (Cape Town, Ghana, China, Spain, Romania, Sweden)minor
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Learning Academies Trust competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- STEP Academy Trust: A mid-sized primary-focused Multi-Academy Trust. Comparable in primary-only focus, central services model, and school conversion-driven growth pattern.
- Unity Schools Partnership: A growing MAT that has expanded significantly through school conversions including mergers. Directly comparable to LAT in operating model and growth pathway.
- REAch2 Academy Trust: One of the largest primary-focused Multi-Academy Trusts in England, operating 60+ primary schools with centralised services. Directly comparable to LAT in mission, structure, and central-services model.
- Plymouth CAST: A Plymouth-based Multi-Academy Trust operating multiple schools in the same city as Learning Academies Trust, competing for the same local pupil population and conversion opportunities.
- Inspiring Futures Through Learning (IFtL): A primary-focused MAT with multiple schools, similar to LAT in primary-only footprint and centralised services approach.
Regional players
- Greenshaw Learning Trust: A large south-west and London-based MAT with both primary and secondary schools. Comparable in scale, geographic proximity, and growth-through-acquisition strategy.
- Futura Learning Partnership: A south-west England MAT focused on primary and secondary schools in the same regional catchment as Learning Academies Trust. Comparable geographic and demographic context.
- Diocese of Exeter Academies Trust: A south-west MAT covering Devon and nearby areas including Plymouth. Geographic competitor sharing similar demographic and funding environment.
- South West Regional Schools Trust: A south-west schools trust serving similar regional catchment and demographics. Comparable to LAT in geography, regulatory environment, and primary-school orientation.
Broad incumbents
- Oasis Community Learning: A large national MAT with significant primary presence. Comparable in multi-school trust structure and educational services delivery, though larger and broader in scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Learning Academies Trust social profiles
Digital presenceLearning Academies Trust financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Learning Academies Trust leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Learning Academies Trust subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries19 records
Learning Academies Trust funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Learning Academies Trust M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Learning Academies Trust
What does Learning Academies Trust do?
Learning Academies Trust delivers state-funded primary and nursery education to approximately 5,500 children across 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings in Plymouth through a Multi-Academy Trust model. The trust operates central support services — Education, ICT, HR, Finance, Estates, and Curriculum — that provide member schools with centralized technology infrastructure, financial management, HR, estates maintenance, and a shared curriculum resource repository ('The Brain'). All education is delivered free at the point of use, funded primarily by the ESFA and DfE grants.
Is Learning Academies Trust a public or private company?
Learning Academies Trust is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Learning Academies Trust founded?
Learning Academies Trust was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Learning Academies Trust based?
Learning Academies Trust is headquartered in Plymouth, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Learning Academies Trust make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government School Funding (ESFA) is the primary driver. The others are condition Improvement Fund (CIF) and connect the Classroom Grant.
Who are Learning Academies Trust's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are STEP Academy Trust, Unity Schools Partnership, REAch2 Academy Trust, Plymouth CAST and Inspiring Futures Through Learning (IFtL). Regional players are Greenshaw Learning Trust, Futura Learning Partnership, Diocese of Exeter Academies Trust and South West Regional Schools Trust. Oasis Community Learning is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Learning Academies Trust have an API?
No public API is recorded for Learning Academies Trust.
What industry is Learning Academies Trust in?
Learning Academies Trust's product category is K-12 Primary Education (Multi-Academy Trust). Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAJAAAB, Public Elementary Schools, with a secondary code of EDACACAL, Nursery School Readiness & Transition Programs. Its NAICS code is 6111 and its SIC code is 8200.