Mowbray Education Trust

What Mowbray Education Trust does

Mowbray Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and not-for-profit charitable company limited by guarantee, headquartered at Pera Business Park, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. The trust operates nine educational settings in Leicestershire spanning pre-school, six primary schools, one secondary school (John Ferneley College), and one through-school (Iveshead School, ages 11-19). It serves approximately 3,400 pupils and employs 580 staff including 220 teachers, with John Ferneley College having academised in 2011 to mark the trust's founding. Governance is exercised by Members, a Board of Trustees (chaired by Drew Richardson-Walsh), and the Accounting Officer Carl Elder, supported by four sub-committees including Audit, Finance & Risk; Governance & Remuneration; Quality of Education; and Local Governing Committees at school level. The trust holds Master and Supplementary Funding Agreements with the Secretary of State for Education, giving it regulatory standing under the DfE Academy Trust Handbook.

The trust operates no proprietary software product; its technical footprint consists of a central website with nine individual school websites, supported by standard SSL encryption, Google Analytics, and third-party social integrations (Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter). Core delivery is educational services delivered through physical school campuses, with the Leicestershire & Rutland Teaching School Hub and a partnership with the East Midlands Teacher Training Partnership (EMTTP) extending the trust's scope into Initial Teacher Training and CPD. Notable institutional features include a non-selective admissions policy, a 'Children First' guiding principle, and explicit commitments to inclusion, aspiration, and collaboration.

The business model is single-stream: 100% of revenue derives from UK government per-pupil funding via the Department for Education under the Master Funding Agreement. All academies are non-selective and charge no fees; there are no disclosed alternative revenue streams, commercial subsidiaries, or fee-based services. Distribution is direct to families through the trust's admissions process, and stakeholder engagement is driven through the MET Newsletter, individual school communications, and a limited social media presence. The trust operates exclusively within Leicestershire with no global footprint claim.

Name

Mowbray Education Trust

Legal name

Mowbray Education Trust

Website

https://mowbrayeducation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Mowbray Education Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating nine Leicestershire school settings — pre-school, primary, secondary and a through-school — serving 3,400 pupils with 580 staff, funded entirely by government per-pupil grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Nonsectarian Independent Day Schools (EDAJABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Classroom-Based SEL Curriculum & Lessons (Preschool/Pre-K) (EDACAOAA)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary education
• Secondary education
• School governance
• Teacher training

Headquarters

HQ city

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a UK Multi-Academy Trust, Mowbray Education Trust receives public funding from the UK government through the Department for Education. Funding agreements are established with the Secretary of State for Education, including a Master Funding Agreement and Supplementary Funding Agreements for each academy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mowbray Education Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) that operates a network of 9 educational settings in Leicestershire, UK, providing free, non-selective education from early years through secondary and post-16. The trust delivers primary, secondary, and pre-school education through its member schools, employing 220 teachers and 580 total staff to serve approximately 3,400 pupils.

Product overview

Mowbray Education Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) providing educational services through 9 school settings in Leicestershire. The organization offers no software product; instead, it delivers educational programs and school management services through its network of primary schools (Ab Kettleby, Brownlow, Buckminster, Sherard, Somerby, The Grove), a secondary school (John Ferneley College), a through-school (Iveshead School), and a pre-school (Oasis Pre-School & Retreat). The trust provides educational services to approximately 3,400 pupils, with 220 teachers and 580 total staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mowbray Education Trust School Network A Multi-Academy Trust providing educational services through a network of 9 school settings spanning primary, secondary, and pre-school education in Leicestershire. Free to attend and non-selective.
• Ab Kettleby Primary School A close-knit community-based primary school where children are valued and helped to achieve their best.
• Brownlow Primary School A large primary school of over 500 pupils maintaining a family feel with a strong community ethos.
• Buckminster Primary School A primary school that officially joined the Trust on November 1st, 2023.
• Iveshead School A 'through' school where students study seamlessly from age 11 through to 19 within one extremely well-resourced campus.
• John Ferneley College A secondary school aiming for all students, irrespective of ability or need, to achieve to the best of their ability. One of the first academies in Leicestershire (2011).
• Sherard Primary School A large, happy, caring primary school with lots of exciting and interesting activities.
• Somerby Primary School A close-knit community-based primary school where children are valued and helped to achieve their best.
• The Grove Primary School A primary school where children are at the heart of everything, with progress and wellbeing equally valued.
• Oasis Pre-School and Retreat A pre-school and retreat service for young children providing early years education and childcare services.

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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• East Midlands Teacher Training Partnership (EMTTP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMowbray Education Trust works with EMTTP to deliver high-quality teacher training providing pathways for Initial Teacher Training as well as broader CPD and leadership development for more experienced teachers. This partnership supports the trust's staff development and helps grow the pipeline of qualified teachers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ARK (Absolute Return for Kids): ARK is a national education charity operating a network of academies and early-years settings across England. Comparable to Mowbray as a state-funded multi-academy operator delivering primary and secondary education, with additional early-years programming similar to Mowbray's Oasis Pre-School.
• Harris Federation: Harris Federation is a large Multi-Academy Trust operating more than 50 primary and secondary academies across England. Comparable to Mowbray as a UK MAT running multiple state-funded schools under a single governance and funding structure, but with substantially greater national scale.
• Oasis Community Learning: Oasis Community Learning is one of the largest Multi-Academy Trusts in England, operating a national network of primary, secondary, and all-through academies. Directly comparable to Mowbray Education Trust as a state-funded MAT delivering K-12 education across multiple settings, though at significantly larger scale.
• United Learning: United Learning is a national Multi-Academy Trust operating both state-funded and independent schools across England. Comparable to Mowbray Education Trust in delivering K-12 education through a network of academies under shared governance, with additional independent-school expertise.

Regional players

• Loughborough College: Loughborough College is a further-education college based in Leicestershire with which Mowbray Education Trust has an overlapping governance relationship (Trustee Laura Shepherd is Director of Strategic Partnerships there). Comparable as a regional education provider, though operating in post-16/further education rather than K-12.

Direct peers

• Delta Academies Trust: Delta Academies Trust is a Multi-Academy Trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary academies across northern and central England. Comparable to Mowbray in structure, K-12 mix, and reliance on government per-pupil funding.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: REAch2 is a primary-focused Multi-Academy Trust operating a large network of primary academies across England. Directly comparable to Mowbray's primary-school-heavy portfolio and similar size band, with overlapping admissions policies and a comparable regional cluster model.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Academy Transformation Trust is a regional Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary academies. Directly comparable to Mowbray in size band, governance structure, and school-conversion growth model.
• Greenshaw Learning Trust: Greenshaw Learning Trust is a regional Multi-Academy Trust running primary and secondary academies, with a comparable size band and expansion-through-conversion model to Mowbray Education Trust.

Others

• Cabinet Office (UK Government): The UK Cabinet Office is the source of government funding and policy direction that underpins Mowbray's revenue model. Relevant as a structural counterpart because the trust's per-pupil funding flows from the Department for Education and HM Treasury, making policy decisions there central to the trust's economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OasisPreschoolandRetreat
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mowbray-education-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Mowbray Education Trust