What Rainbow Education MAT does

Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust (REMAT) is a Church of England Foundation Multi-Academy Trust, established in 2014 and headquartered in Huyton, Liverpool, that directly operates nine primary schools across the Merseyside region — encompassing both Church of England and community (non-faith) institutions — serving more than 2,000 children aged 2-11 with approximately 250 staff. The Trust provides centralized shared services to its member schools, including finance, payroll, HR, estates management, governance support, and marketing/communications, freeing school leaders to focus on teaching and learning. Its curriculum is knowledge-rich and coherently sequenced against the National Curriculum, underpinned by an "Ubuntu" communal philosophy that emphasizes shared flourishing while allowing each school to retain its own distinctive identity (faith or community).

REMAT's revenue is overwhelmingly derived from UK government per-pupil funding distributed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA), with each wholly-owned school acting as a pupil-funding conduit rather than a paying customer. Beyond its internal MAT operations, the Trust has built a portfolio of ancillary education services marketed externally: Rainbow Connections (school improvement support for non-member schools in English, maths, SEND, behaviour, and Early Years), the Rainbow Teaching School Hub (CPD, teacher training, and ECT induction), the Headship Development Programme ("The Next Step"), and Aspire Middle Leaders. These lines extend the Trust's addressable market beyond its nine campuses while remaining modest in scale relative to core government funding.

The Trust's technology footprint is intentionally limited: a CPD platform at rematcpd.org.uk, standard school management systems, and a publicly accessible website (with partial WCAG 2.2 AA compliance as of late 2023). The Digital Director role and an "'The Shape Of The Future' AI Report" on the website indicate early organizational positioning on AI policy, but no deployed AI products, proprietary models, or AI/ML hires are evident. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees (chaired by Dave Cadwallader) with Diocese of Liverpool appointment rights, a Members body, and Local Academy Councils at each school; CEO Gina Donaldson leads the central executive alongside COO James Ray and Director of School Improvement Sarah Knipe.

Name

Rainbow Education MAT

Legal name

Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust

Website

https://rainboweducationmat.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust operates nine Church of England and community primary schools across Merseyside, serving 2,000+ pupils aged 2-11 with ~250 staff. Funded primarily by UK government per-pupil allocations, it delivers centralized shared services, external school improvement support, and CPD programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs-Inclusive Early Learning Academies (EDACADAI)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Multi academy trust
• School improvement support
• Continuing professional development
• Centralised school shared services

Headquarters

HQ city

Huyton, Liverpool

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Per-Pupil Funding: As a Multi Academy Trust, the organization receives government funding based on pupil numbers across its member schools. Funding is distributed by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to support educational operations.
2. Central Support Services: The Trust provides shared services including finance, HR, payroll, estates management, and governance support to member schools, creating operational efficiencies and generating service revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rainbow Education MAT operates a network of nine primary schools across Merseyside delivering education to children aged 2-11, funded primarily through government per-pupil allocations. The Trust provides centralised shared services (finance, HR, payroll, estates, governance, marketing) to its member schools and externally trades school improvement support, leadership development programmes, continuing professional development (CPD), and a school readiness programme to schools and educators beyond the Trust.

Product overview

Rainbow Education Multi-Academy Trust operates as a Church of England Foundation Multi-Academy Trust serving nine primary schools across Merseyside with over 2,000 learners and 250 staff. The Trust's product portfolio consists of educational programmes and support services rather than software products. Core offerings include the Get Ready with Teddy school readiness programme, Rainbow Connections external school improvement services, and a comprehensive CPD platform with programmes including the Headship Development Programme and Aspire: Developing Middle Leaders. The Trust also provides Early Career Teacher induction support, staff wellbeing services, centralised shared services (finance, HR, estates, governance), and a Teaching School Hub. All services are designed to support schools within and outside the Trust in achieving educational excellence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rainbow Teaching School Hub: Teaching school hub providing professional development and school improvement support.
• Rainbow Shared Services
• Rainbow Connections
• Get Ready with Teddy
• The Next Step
• Aspire

Products and services

• Get Ready with Teddy Programme A school readiness programme designed to support smooth, confident transitions into Reception for young learners at Trust schools. For families and Early Years children approaching school entry.
• Rainbow Connections External school improvement support services extending to schools outside the Trust, including coaching, mentoring, and best practice modelling in English, maths, subject leadership, SEND, behaviour, and Early Years. For headteachers and school leaders at non-member schools.
• CPD Website Online continuing professional development platform providing research-led learning opportunities for staff across the Trust, accessible at rematcpd.org.uk. For teachers, support staff, and leaders within and outside the Trust.
• Headship Development Programme (The Next Step) Programme equipping new and aspiring headteachers with mindset, knowledge, and skills for authentic, confident leadership and strategic foresight. For aspiring and new headteachers.
• Aspire: Developing Middle Leaders Programme designed to equip middle and aspiring middle leaders with mindset, knowledge, and practical skills to lead with clarity, confidence, and purpose. For middle leaders and aspiring middle leaders.
• Early Career Teachers (ECT) Support Two-year induction programme providing Early Career Teachers with mentor support and an Induction Tutor to ensure statutory entitlements and progress assessment. For Early Career Teachers across the Trust.
• Rainbow Teaching School Hub Teaching school hub providing teacher training, professional development, and school improvement support to internal and external schools, including headship and middle leadership development programmes. For schools, teachers, and aspiring leaders across the region.
• Trust Shared Services Centralised support including finance management, payroll, HR, estates management, governance support, and marketing/communications for member schools. For member schools of the Trust.
• Member School Primary Education (9 schools) Operation of nine primary schools (Church of England and community) delivering education to children aged 2-11 across Merseyside, including St Gabriel's CE, Garston CE, Heygreen Community, Croxteth Community, Shoreside Community, The District CE, St Silas CE, Townfield, and Well Lane primary schools. For children aged 2-11 and their families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Majority of students make good and better progress from their starting points
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rainbow Teaching School HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Trust operates its own Teaching School Hub providing professional development and training. The hub offers support to both internal and external schools through various CPD programmes including headship development and middle leadership development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Greenwood Academies Trust: Greenwood operates a network of primary and secondary academies across the East Midlands with a comparable school improvement mandate. Its mixed portfolio and central support services model align with Rainbow's structure.
• Academy Transformation Trust: ATT is a multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across the Midlands and East of England with similar shared central services (finance, HR, school improvement) model. Comparable size and structure to Rainbow's nine-school Merseyside network.
• STEP Academy Trust: STEP is a primary-focused multi-academy trust with a shared curriculum approach and central school improvement services. Closely comparable operating model and primary-segment focus to Rainbow Education MAT.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: REAch2 is one of the largest primary-focused Multi-Academy Trusts in England. It is closely comparable to Rainbow Education MAT in operating a primary school network with central shared services, school improvement focus, and standardized curriculum - though at materially greater scale.
• Kings Group Academies: Kings Group Academies operates a network of primary schools with shared curriculum and central services. Similar in size and primary-segment focus to Rainbow Education MAT, making it a useful comparable for benchmarking operating performance.

Broad incumbents

• Harris Federation: Harris Federation is a major London-based MAT operating primary and secondary academies across multiple regions. Much larger scale than Rainbow, but a benchmark incumbent for the school improvement and central curriculum model.
• Oasis Community Learning: Oasis is one of the largest MATs in the UK operating a broad portfolio of primary and secondary academies with integrated community services. Larger scale and broader remit make it a broad incumbent rather than direct peer, but the central shared-services model is highly comparable.

Regional players

• Diocese of Liverpool Schools Trust: The Diocese of Liverpool Schools Trust is the regional denominational counterpart operating Church of England schools across Merseyside. It is the most directly comparable regional peer given shared geography, faith foundation, and primary-segment focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rainbow-education-mat

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 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 Rainbow Education MAT