THE PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY

What THE PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY does

The Painsley Catholic Academy is a state-funded Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (MAC) registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, headquartered on Station Road, Cheadle, Staffordshire. Founded in 2012, it operates 16 schools across Staffordshire and the West Midlands — three high schools (Painsley Catholic College, Blessed William Howard Catholic High School, and Cardinal Griffin Catholic College) and thirteen Catholic primary schools — delivering education from Reception through Year 13 including GCSE, A-Level, and T-Level qualifications. The trust sits within the Archdiocese of Birmingham, and in 2025 became part of the larger St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust while retaining its operating identity.

The organisation's core "product" is Catholic education across its 16 member schools, supported by shared central services, a Teaching School Hub (Golden Thread TSH) that delivers continuing professional development for teachers inside and outside the network, and a £1 million purpose-built Digital Hub completed in 2022 that includes a Live Learning Platform and Maths Mastery teaching infrastructure. Its technical footprint is therefore best characterised as digital teaching infrastructure (live streaming, observation, professional development) rather than a software platform per se. Recognition includes World Class School reaccreditation (2023), UNICEF Gold Standard for rights-respecting schools, Music Mark, School Games Gold Mark, and Silver in the 2025 Pearson National Teaching Awards, with St Mary's Catholic Academy ranked 66th of 16,674 UK primary schools.

The business model is non-commercial: funding flows from the Education and Skills Funding Agency under the national funding formula for state schools, supplemented by diocesan and charitable income. There are no tuition fees; pupil recruitment occurs through the Staffordshire County Council admissions system and via parish referral networks. The primary "customers" are students and their families, with secondary stakeholders including teachers accessing CPD and the Diocese. Expansion has historically been through school additions and trust mergers (Holy Trinity in 2018, Cardinal Griffin in 2023) and through the 2025 integration into St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic MAT.

Name

THE PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY

Legal name

The Painsley Catholic Academy

Website

https://painsleymac.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Painsley Catholic Academy is a state-funded Catholic Multi-Academy Trust operating 16 schools (3 secondary, 13 primary) across Staffordshire under the Archdiocese of Birmingham, serving pupils from Reception to Year 13 with GCSE, A-Level, and T-Level programmes, and now part of the St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic MAT.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Virtual CTE & Career Pathways Programs (K–12) (EDAJADAL)

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Catholic secondary education
• Multi-academy trust
• Teacher training services
• Sixth Form education

Headquarters

HQ city

CHEADLE

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Painsley Catholic Academy operates 16 Catholic schools across Staffordshire — three high schools and thirteen primary schools — delivering state-funded Catholic education from Reception through Year 13, including GCSE, A-Level and T-Level qualifications. The trust also runs a Teaching School Hub (Golden Thread TSH) providing professional development for teachers and school leaders, and operates a £1 million purpose-built Digital Hub supporting modern digital learning.

Product overview

The Painsley Catholic Academy is a Catholic Multi-Academy Trust (MAC) comprising three high schools (Painsley Catholic College, Blessed William Howard Catholic High School, and Cardinal Griffin Catholic College) and thirteen primary schools across Staffordshire. The organization operates a unified educational platform centered on Catholic values, offering primary education (EYFS through Key Stage 2) and secondary education (GCSE, A-Level, and T-Level qualifications). The Teaching School Hub provides professional development services across the network. The academy was established in 2012, expanded with Holy Trinity Catholic Multi Academy in 2018, and welcomed Cardinal Griffin Catholic College in September 2023.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Painsley Catholic College
• Blessed William Howard Catholic High School
• Cardinal Griffin Catholic College
• Primary Schools Network
• Painsley Sixth Form
• Teaching School Hub (Golden Thread TSH)

Quantifiable outcome

• St Mary's ranked 6th out of 790 primary schools in West Midlands and 66th out of 16,674 in UK
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Birmingham DiocesecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Painsley Catholic Academy operates within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. Schools maintain close ties to local parishes and the Diocese, with Bishop involvement in Catholic life activities. The academy joined with Holy Trinity Catholic Multi Academy in September 2018 under this Diocese.
• Golden Thread Teaching School HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPainsley's Teaching School Hub (Golden Thread TSH) provides professional development for aspiring, new and existing teachers and leaders. Selected to provide high-quality professional development to teachers and leaders across the network and beyond.
• St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Painsley Catholic Academy is now part of St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, providing expanded network and resources. The academy continues to operate with its own identity while benefiting from the larger trust structure.
• CAFODminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCatholic Agency for Overseas Development - Schools across the MAC participate in CAFOD fundraising activities including Lent walks, half marathons raising funds for charitable causes.
• Mary's MealsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld record donation from Painsley to Mary's Meals. Founder of Mary's Meals visited Painsley Catholic Academy.
• Cardinal Griffin Catholic CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCardinal Griffin Catholic College in Cannock joined The Painsley Catholic Academy in September 2023 as the academy's newest member school, expanding the network to 16 schools.
• Holy Trinity Catholic Multi AcademycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnion completed in September 2018, combining Painsley with Holy Trinity Catholic Multi Academy to become the largest Catholic multi-academy company in the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ark Schools: Multi-academy trust running a network of non-denominational primary and secondary schools across England. Comparable as a values-driven academy chain operating a hub-and-spoke model with shared teaching resources.
• United Learning: Major UK multi-academy trust and independent school group. Comparable in operating a mixed portfolio of state-funded and independent schools with shared professional development and curriculum infrastructure.
• Oasis Community Learning: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating dozens of primary and secondary schools nationally. Comparable as a state-funded academy chain with centralised support services and a defined ethos-driven mission.
• Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust operating primary, secondary and sixth-form schools across London and the South East. Comparable as a scaled academy chain with shared curriculum, CPD, and central infrastructure across member schools.
• St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust: Parent Catholic multi-academy trust that Painsley joined in 2025. Directly comparable as a Catholic K-12 multi-academy operator with shared governance, faith-based admissions, and state-funded model across a larger network.

Others

• Golden Thread Teaching School Hub: Painsley's own Teaching School Hub, included as a peer because it is a directly relevant operating unit for the trust's external CPD revenue and digital teaching observation capability.

Direct peers

• St John the Baptist Catholic Multi-Academy Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust that operates primary and secondary schools in the West Midlands region. Comparable as a same-region, same-faith Catholic MAT with a similar operating model.
• Cardinal Newman Catholic Education Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust operating schools within the same Archdiocese of Birmingham footprint. Comparable as a faith-based Catholic MAC with shared diocesan oversight and similar admissions priorities.
• The Diocese of Shrewsbury Education Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust running schools across the North West and West Midlands. Comparable as a Catholic multi-academy trust operating diocesan schools with shared faith-based governance and funding model.
• Holy Trinity Catholic Multi Academy: Former standalone Catholic MAC that merged into Painsley in September 2018. Directly comparable as a state-funded Catholic multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools within the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PainsleyMAC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-painsley-catholic-academy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries16 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 THE PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY