Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust

Name

Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust

Legal name

Pope Francis Catholic Multi Academy Trust

Website

https://pfcmat.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Early Learning Academies (EDACADAH)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust education
• Catholic primary education
• Catholic secondary education
• School improvement services
• Central academy support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Per-Pupil Allocation): Core funding from the Department for Education distributed per pupil across all academies. This represents the primary revenue source for the Trust and its member schools.
2. 5% Top-Slice Levy: The Trust levies a 5% top slice from school budgets to provide central services including finance, HR, legal, estates, data management, marketing/PR, safeguarding, and governance support. This is the primary mechanism for funding the central trust operations.
3. Capital Allocation: Once the Trust reaches 3,000 pupils or five schools, it receives significant annual capital allocation from government. Currently at 2,300 pupils with growth trajectory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust delivers Catholic education and central support services to a network of eight schools (four secondary and four primary) in the Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Trust levies a 5% top-slice from member school budgets to fund centralised finance, HR, legal, payroll, estates, safeguarding, governance, marketing/PR, and school improvement services, while each academy retains its distinctive Catholic identity.

Product overview

Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust operates as a platform of Catholic education comprising eight academies: four secondary schools (Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy, Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco, and associate member Christ the King Catholic High School) and four primary schools (Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Walsingham, St Mary's, and St Edmund's and St Thomas'). The Trust provides central support services including Chaplaincy, HR, Finance, Payroll, Legal, Data Protection, Estates, Marketing, Safeguarding, and Governance. The Staff Wellbeing Platform on PowerApps provides staff access to benefits and support. The model is collaborative and accompaniment-based rather than transactional, supporting school improvement across the Trust.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy Secondary Catholic academy providing Catholic education to pupils; first full member school of the Trust, joined 2021. Received positive OFSTED 2024 and CSI 2023 inspection outcomes noting strong governance and Catholic Life and Mission.
• Sacred Heart Catholic Academy Secondary Catholic academy providing Catholic education with rapid improvement, achieving a 40% increase in Year 7 intake in two years. Joined the Trust in 2022.
• The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco Catholic secondary academy formerly known as Savio Salesian College; joined Trust January 2023. Pupil numbers increased by over a third in three years with rapid improvements recognised by CSI 2025.
• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School Primary Catholic school providing Catholic primary education; joined the Trust in September 2024.
• Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Primary Academy Primary Catholic school providing Catholic primary education; joined the Trust in September 2024.
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Little Crosby Primary Catholic school in Little Crosby providing Catholic primary education; joined the Trust in September 2024.
• St Edmund's and St Thomas' Catholic Primary School Primary Catholic school providing Catholic primary education; joined the Trust in September 2024.
• Christ the King Catholic High School Catholic secondary school in Southport providing Catholic secondary education; joined the Trust as an associate member on 1st April 2025 under a lighter engagement model.
• Trust Central Services Bundle of central support services provided to member academies including chaplaincy and Catholic life leadership, marketing and PR, estates management, data management, legal and data protection, HR, safeguarding, payroll, finance, governance and compliance, and staff wellbeing. Funded by a 5% top-slice from each school's budget.
• Staff Wellbeing Platform Digital staff wellbeing platform hosted on Microsoft PowerApps providing Trust and school staff with access to wellbeing resources, benefits information, and support services including the Simply Health partnership offering 24/7 GP access, counselling, financial support, physiotherapy, dental and glasses allowances.

Quantifiable outcome

• At The Salesian Academy of St John Bosco, pupil numbers increased by over a third in three years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hill Dickinson LLPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Legal services partnership providing unlimited educational law advice covering admissions, SEND, exclusions, land matters, and complaints. Also provides DPO with unlimited GDPR support. For complex HR matters, Hill Dickinson provides Headteacher legal advice and representation at dismissal hearings.
• Simply HealthcoreOthersStaff wellbeing partnership providing healthcare benefits including 24/7 GP access, counselling, financial support, physiotherapy, dental work and glasses allowances for staff across all Trust schools.
• Access GroupcoreTechnology or IntegrationMarket-leading school-only payroll provider providing employees with easy-to-use portal for payslips and claim submissions. Each school has dedicated portal and payroll manager for 100% payroll accuracy.
• Bike2Work SchememinorOthersGovernment Cycle to Work initiative administration allowing staff to save up to 43.25% on bicycles and equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings.
• Compliance EducationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHealth and safety audit partnership providing audits for each school with supported action plans to achieve school and Trust compliance. Also supports decarbonisation and sustainability projects across estates portfolio.
• Marketing and PR PartnercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic marketing support providing social media campaign materials, bespoke marketing materials for individual schools, critical incident PR support and media responses.
• St Joseph's Catholic Multi Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernance collaboration partnership to strengthen Catholic school governance in Liverpool area. Staff from each Trust encouraged to explore Local Governor roles at schools in the other Trust. Designed to deepen spirit of service and collaboration across Catholic education community.
• Education Development TrustminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational consultancy providing school improvement support and inspector services. Referenced in context of Director of Primary's prior work as consultant for the organization.
• Sefton Governor ServicesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGovernor training services providing professional development for LGB members and Directors through the Trust's governance programme.
• National Governance Association (NGA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNational membership organization providing governance resources, training, and support. Trust provides NGA login access to governors through GovernorHub integration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• REAch2 Academy Trust: Large primary-focused MAT operating a hub-and-spoke central-team model across many schools. Comparable to PFCMAT on shared services design and 5%-style top-slice funding structure.
• David Ross Education Trust: National MAT that PFCMAT's CFOO Daniel Hennessy helped establish. Operates a portfolio of primary and secondary academies with centralised school improvement, providing a comparable blueprint at larger scale.
• Star Academies: One of the largest UK MATs (multi-faith but with a strong faith-school heritage), running dozens of primary and secondary academies with centralised school-improvement and shared services — a useful incumbent benchmark for scale economics.

Direct peers

• Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust serving a mix of primary and secondary schools across the North East, with a central improvement team and shared services — directly comparable mission and operating model.
• Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust providing central services to a network of primary and secondary schools. Comparable on faith identity, top-slice funding model, and shared school-improvement function.
• Notre Dame Catholic Multi Academy Trust: Faith-based MAT operating Catholic schools with central-team support and shared services. Comparable Catholic-identity positioning and member-school economics to PFCMAT.
• Blessed John Henry Newman Catholic Academy Trust: Catholic MAT running a portfolio of primary and secondary schools with a centralised improvement and back-office function — closely aligned to PFCMAT's faith-based, central-services model.
• St Joseph's Catholic Multi Academy Trust: Governance partner operating in the same Archdiocese of Liverpool, serving Catholic primary and secondary schools with a similar central-services model. Most directly comparable Catholic MAT in PFCMAT's geographic backyard.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PopeFrancisCMAT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pope-francis-catholic-multi-academy-trust
• Instagraminstagram.com/popefranciscmat

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Pope Francis Catholic Multi-Academy Trust