The Queen Katherine School

What The Queen Katherine School does

The Queen Katherine School (QKS) is a state-funded secondary school located in Kendal, Cumbria, England, providing education to approximately 955 students aged 11–18 across Year 7 through Sixth Form (Years 12–13). The school delivers Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 (GCSE) education across around 40 subjects, and a Sixth Form offering Level 3 qualifications including A Levels and BTEC vocational pathways across more than 23 subject areas. It is named after Queen Katherine of Aragon and operates under the governance of the Cumbria Education Trust multi-academy trust, which delegates day-to-day oversight to a Local Advisory Board. Executive Headteacher Mr Jon Hayes and Head of School Mr Ben Griffin lead the institution.

The school's core technology stack is described as a standard educational technology platform with online learning resources and student information systems, supplemented by third-party tools such as Unifrog for careers guidance. Its go-to-market is direct enrollment: students enter via the local authority admissions process for Year 7 and through separate internal/external application processes for Sixth Form, supported by open evenings, school tours, and taster days. The business model is government funding under the UK education funding framework; there are no tuition fees, and revenue is supplemented by minor optional charges and facility hire. There is no venture capital, private equity, or commercial ownership, and the entity operates as a non-profit educational institution under UK law. The school has been recognized as a Duke of Edinburgh Champion School, with 237 students completing DofE Awards.

Name

The Queen Katherine School

Legal name

The Queen Katherine School

Website

https://qks.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Queen Katherine School is a state-funded secondary school in Kendal, Cumbria, serving 955 students aged 11-18 across GCSEs and Sixth Form, operated as part of the Cumbria Education Trust multi-academy trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public High Schools (EDAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• GCSE programs
• Sixth Form education
• A-Level courses
• School admissions

Headquarters

HQ city

Kendal

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 Funding: State-funded secondary school receiving government funding through the education funding framework. Operates as part of Cumbria Education Trust multi-academy trust.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Queen Katherine School is a state-funded secondary school in Kendal, Cumbria, providing comprehensive education for students aged 11-18 (Years 7-13). The school delivers Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 (GCSE) instruction across 40 subjects, plus a Sixth Form offering A Levels, BTEC vocational qualifications, and Level 3 courses. It supplements academic provision with Duke of Edinburgh Award participation, careers guidance via Unifrog, work experience, and a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and trips.

Product overview

The Queen Katherine School is a secondary school providing comprehensive educational services from Years 7 through Sixth Form (Years 12-13). The school offers a single, unified educational offering rather than a modular product architecture. The core provision includes secondary education across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5, with GCSE courses in approximately 40 subjects and Level 3 courses (A Levels and BTEC vocational qualifications) in over 23 subject areas. The school also provides supplementary programs including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, careers guidance through Unifrog, work experience opportunities, and extra-curricular clubs and trips. The Sixth Form offers three curriculum pathways: A level only, A level and BTECs combined, or exclusively BTec vocational courses. These components collectively form the school's educational service offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary School Education (Years 7-11) Comprehensive secondary education covering Key Stages 3 and 4, serving approximately 955 students with 117 teachers and staff. The curriculum includes over 40 subjects including GCSE options across traditional academic and vocational areas.
• Sixth Form (Years 12-13) Post-16 education offering Level 3 courses including A Levels and BTEC vocational qualifications across over 23 subject areas through three curriculum pathways. Students can study 3 or 4 courses in subjects such as Art, Biology, Business, Chemistry, Computing, Economics, English, Further Maths, and others.
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Programme A structured award program open to all Year 9 students as part of the 'whole child' curriculum, with a record-breaking number of students completing DofE Awards. The school has been recognized as a Duke of Edinburgh Champion School.
• Careers Education and Guidance Comprehensive careers program including access to the Unifrog platform, work experience opportunities, partnerships with employers, and support for university applications and apprenticeships.
• Extra-Curricular Clubs and Trips A wide range of enrichment activities including clubs, educational visits, and field work that complement the academic curriculum and support student personal development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Strong Ofsted rating with 5/7 areas judged as 'strong' (June 2026)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cumbria Education TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-academy trust that governs the school. The trust delegates responsibilities to the Local Advisory Board (LAB) while maintaining overall governance and strategic direction. The trust provides shared services, governance support, and resources across its network of schools.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Windermere School: An independent (private) school in the Lake District near Kendal. Competes for the same local families seeking secondary education, particularly at Sixth Form, with a different funding model but overlapping catchment.
• Ulverston Victoria High School: A state secondary school in nearby Ulverston, South Lakeland. Competes for some students in the broader Cumbria catchment and offers a comparable 11–18 provision with sixth form.
• Dallam School: A secondary school in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, geographically adjacent to Kendal and competing for students in the South Lakeland area. Comparable size and 11–18 offering.
• Sedbergh School: A historic independent boarding and day school in Cumbria. Competes for academically inclined Sixth Form students in the region, especially those targeting top universities.

Others

• Unifrog: The careers and destinations platform used by QKS for all students. Not a peer but an enabling technology partner that materially shapes the school's careers proposition and progression outcomes.
• Cumbria Education Trust: The multi-academy trust itself—the parent/operator entity that governs QKS. Not a peer in the competitive sense but the key structural partner and enabler of shared services, governance, and trust-level strategic direction.
• Cartmel Priory C of E Primary School: A local feeder primary school in the same South Lakeland/Cumbria geographic area. Not a direct competitor but a key feeder pipeline influencing QKS Year 7 enrolment.

Direct peers

• Workington Academy: Another Cumbria Education Trust secondary with sixth form, offering a directly comparable academy model with similar student demographic and curriculum scope. A natural peer for trust-level benchmarking.
• Kirkbie Kendal School: The other main secondary school in Kendal, directly competing with QKS for the same local catchment for Year 7 entry and Sixth Form applicants. Similar size, mixed comprehensive offering, and the closest geographic competitor.
• William Howard School: A fellow Cumbria Education Trust secondary school in Brampton, sharing the same trust governance, central services, and policy framework. Direct operational peer for benchmarking curriculum, results, and shared services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qksschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/qksschool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/the-queen-katherine-school

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Queen Katherine School