What Lingfield Education Trust does

Lingfield Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) operating 24 primary schools across the North East of England, serving pupils aged 2-11 in Darlington, Durham, North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley. Founded in 2014 and led by CEO Nick Blackburn MBE, the trust operates through three regional hubs (North, Central, East) and delivers core primary education plus specialist SEND provision, resource bases for visual and hearing impairment, social communication support, and wraparound care. The central trust employs 11-50 staff with a much larger workforce distributed across member schools. Notable outcomes include Cambrai Primary School achieving Outstanding across all areas at its first Ofsted inspection in 2024 and winning the Pearson National Teaching Awards Silver Award the same year.

The trust's core products are its 24-school network, supplemented by a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme delivered in partnership with Teach First (which grants Qualified Teacher Status and PGCE qualifications), a structured Teaching Career Pathway, and centralised services covering Finance, HR, IT, Estates, Governance, Marketing and Communications. School Improvement Services include a Lead Ofsted Inspector and executive school leaders running best-practice networks across English, Mathematics, SEND, Early Years, ECTs, Curriculum Leadership, Pupil Premium and Assessment. The trust's technology stack centres on educational ICT infrastructure (e.g., state-of-the-art facilities at Cambrai) rather than AI/ML or proprietary platforms.

The revenue model is government-funded through per-pupil allocations from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), supplemented by SEND, pupil premium, and early-years grants. As a not-for-profit educational charity, the trust has no external shareholders or equity funding rounds, and pricing is not commercially disclosed because services are state-provisioned. Governance rests on Members (who hold the trust to account) and Trustees (who oversee strategy and operations); Andy Lancashire became Chair in September 2025, succeeding Stuart Crowther who held the role from 2014 to 2025.

Name

Lingfield Education Trust

Legal name

Lingfield Education Trust

Website

https://lingfieldeducationtrust.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lingfield Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust operating 24 government-funded primary schools across the North East of England (Darlington, Durham, North Yorkshire, Tees Valley), serving pupils aged 2-11 with specialist SEND provision, alongside an in-house SCITT teacher training programme and shared central services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education (Multi-Academy Trust)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Teacher Training & Language Teaching Certifications (e.g., CELTA/DELTA) (EDAIAEAI)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Multi-academy trust
• Initial teacher training
• School improvement support
• SEND specialist provision

Headquarters

HQ city

Darlington, County Durham

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government-funded Education: As a Multi Academy Trust, Lingfield Education Trust receives government funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for educating pupils across its 24 schools. Funding is per-pupil based and supplemented by additional grants for specific purposes such as SEND provision, pupil premium, and early years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lingfield Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust that delivers primary education through 24 schools across North East England for children aged 2-11. Beyond school-level education, it provides centralised support services (Finance, HR, IT, Estates, Governance, Marketing), school improvement services, a Teaching Career Pathway, and a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) programme in partnership with Teach First.

Product overview

Lingfield Education Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) consisting of 24 primary schools across the North East of England. The trust offers educational services primarily through its network of schools, supplemented by a School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) program delivered in partnership with Teach First, a Teaching Career Pathway for staff development, and Central Services providing Finance, HR, IT, Estates, Governance, and Marketing support. School Improvement Services and professional development networks (CPD, English, Mathematics, SEND, Early Years) support the educational delivery across all member schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Cambrai Primary School achieved 'Outstanding' Ofsted rating across all areas at first ever inspection in 2024
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Teach FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Lingfield Education Trust works in partnership with Teach First to provide School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT). Trainees gain Qualified Teacher Status and a PGCE through the one-year, research-led programme. The partnership provides placement schools across the North East.
• Ironstone Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Lingfield Education Trust expanded its SCITT partnership to include schools from Ironstone Academy Trust, providing a greater number of placement schools for SCITT candidates.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ormiston Academies Trust: National MAT running a portfolio of primary and secondary academies with an emphasis on school improvement and inclusion. Comparable as a primary-inclusive MAT operator.
• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest sponsors and operators of academies in England. Directly comparable as a national MAT operator with primary school coverage and centralised support services.
• Delta Academies Trust: Large UK MAT operating multiple primary and secondary academies with a strong focus on school improvement and central services. Comparable regional multi-school operator structure.
• United Learning: Large not-for-profit MAT operating primary and secondary schools nationwide. Comparable as a multi-academy trust with a charitable governance model and school improvement focus.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust running a portfolio of primary and secondary schools across the Midlands and East of England. Comparable in scale and school-improvement-led operating model.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Mid-sized UK MAT operating primary and secondary academies across the Midlands and East. Comparable school-improvement-led operator with centralised services.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: One of the largest MATs in England operating a network of primary and secondary academies. Directly comparable as a UK multi-academy trust with a school improvement model and central services infrastructure.
• Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools. Comparable as a UK MAT with centralised school improvement and operational support functions.

Regional players

• Forward As One Church of England Multi Academy Trust: Regional MAT in the North of England operating a network of church-affiliated primary and secondary schools. Comparable geographic and structural profile to Lingfield.
• Ironstone Academy Trust: Regional MAT partner of Lingfield's SCITT programme. Comparable as a neighbouring North East-based MAT with primary and secondary schools and a focus on outdoor education and school improvement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LingfieldTrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/LingfieldEducationTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lingfield-education-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries24 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 Lingfield Education Trust