What Skinners' Academy does

Skinners' Academy is a state-funded co-educational secondary school and sixth form located at Woodberry Grove in the Woodberry Down community of North Hackney, London. It serves approximately 1,000 pupils aged 11-19 and is operated by Skinners' Academies Trust, a multi-academy trust comprising five schools in Kent and London that together educate approximately 4,500 students across primary and secondary phases. The Trust is sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Skinners, one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London, with origins traceable to a Royal Charter of 1327. The current institution occupies a state-of-the-art building inaugurated by HRH the Duke of Gloucester in 2011 and designed with sustainability features and modern pedagogical spaces.

The Academy delivers the National Curriculum with a specialism in Enterprise at the secondary level (Years 7-11) and offers A Level and BTEC vocational courses in its Sixth Form (Years 12-13). These core academic provisions are supplemented by an Enrichment Programme (including the Duke of Edinburgh Award) and a Careers Education service providing work-experience support, apprenticeship guidance, and one-to-one careers advisory sessions. Operational technology is limited to standard sector tools: Edulink for parent and student communication, Zoho Forms for processing in-year admissions appeals, and Direct School Wear (Rough Cut Casuals) for online uniform purchasing; the Academy does not have a native mobile app and no proprietary AI or data platform is referenced in the input.

As a state-funded academy, Skinners' Academy does not charge tuition fees. Funding flows from central government via Hackney Education, with Year 7 admissions coordinated through a banding test designed to ensure balanced intake, while in-year and Sixth Form applications follow separate pathways. The customer base comprises individual pupils and their families rather than enterprise clients, and there is no commercial revenue stream. In the 2024-25 academic year, outcomes reached the highest level in the institution's history: 68% of GCSE students achieved Grade 4 or above in English and Mathematics, 77% of Sixth Form students achieved grade C or above at A Level, and the Sixth Form received an ALPS 2 score placing it in the top 10% nationally for value-added progress. The Academy holds an Ofsted rating of Good (awarded 2022).

Name

Skinners' Academy

Legal name

Skinners' Academies Trust

Website

https://skinnersacademy.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Skinners' Academy is a state-funded co-educational secondary school and sixth form in Hackney, London, serving approximately 1,000 pupils aged 11-19, operated by Skinners' Academies Trust and sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Skinners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

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

Skinners' Academy is a state-funded co-educational secondary school and sixth form in Hackney, London, delivering GCSE-level education (Years 7-11) and post-16 A Level and BTEC courses (Years 12-13) to approximately 1,000 pupils aged 11-19, with a specialism in Enterprise. It supplements its core academic curriculum with an Enrichment Programme (including the Duke of Edinburgh Award) and structured Careers Education, and operates from a sustainably designed, state-of-the-art building as part of the Skinners' Academies Trust.

Product overview

Skinners' Academy is a co-educational secondary school serving approximately 1,000 students aged 11-19 in Hackney, London. The institution comprises two main educational programmes: Secondary Education (Years 7-11) providing comprehensive GCSE-level studies with a specialism in Enterprise, and the Sixth Form (Years 12-13) offering A Level and BTEC vocational qualifications. These core academic offerings are supplemented by an Enrichment Programme featuring extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and a dedicated Careers Education service providing work experience support, apprenticeship guidance, and individual careers advisory sessions. The Academy, which opened in its current form in 2010, achieved its best-ever Sixth Form results in Summer 2025 and was rated 'Good' by Ofsted in 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education (Years 7-11) Comprehensive secondary education for pupils aged 11-16, following the National Curriculum with a specialism in Enterprise, leading to GCSE qualifications.
• Sixth Form (Years 12-13) Post-16 education offering A Level and BTEC vocational courses for students aged 16-19, with an ALPS 2 score indicating top 10% nationally for value-added progress.
• Enrichment Programme Extra-curricular activities including the Duke of Edinburgh Award, career-focused events, community engagement opportunities and broader personal development activities.
• Careers Education Comprehensive career guidance including work experience support, apprenticeship information and one-to-one careers advisor appointments for students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% of GCSE students achieved Grade 4+ in English & Mathematics (exceeding national averages)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Worshipful Company of SkinnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of London with history dating back to its Royal Charter in 1327. Originally associated with the fur trade, the Company now focuses on philanthropic endeavors in education. Founded Skinners' Academy originally as The Skinners' Company's School for Girls in 1890 and continues as sponsor.
• Skinners' Academies TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaborative Multi-Academy Trust of five diverse and high-performing schools in Kent and London, educating a total of 4,500 students across primary and secondary phases. The Trust builds on shared values and history while preserving school autonomy and enabling deeper practical collaboration.
• Hackney EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe local education authority for Hackney that coordinates admissions for secondary schools in the borough. Manages the banding test process and application coordination for Year 7 and in-year admissions.
• Other Skinners' Company Educational InstitutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Skinners' Company supports several other educational institutions including The Skinners' School in Royal Tunbridge Wells, The Skinners' Kent Academy, and the Marsh Academy, reflecting its enduring commitment to nurturing young minds.
• Careers and EnterpriseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides work experience resources and career guidance materials for parents and students, including Work Experience FAQs and support documentation.
• Employers for Work ExperienceminorOthersVarious employers provide work experience placements for students, with the school handling administrative tasks including safeguarding, risk assessments, health and safety in line with government guidelines.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• The Skinners' School: A grammar school in Royal Tunbridge Wells sponsored by the same Worshipful Company of Skinners and within the Skinners' Academies Trust. Highly comparable in governance, ethos, and sponsor relationship, though selective rather than comprehensive.
• Cardinal Pole Catholic School: A Hackney secondary school operating alongside Skinners' Academy in the same local admissions market, serving overlapping demographics and competing directly for Year 7 places through Hackney Education.
• The Urswick School: A Hackney state secondary school sharing the same admissions process, demographic profile, and parental choice set as Skinners' Academy. Operates a broadly comparable curriculum and enrichment model.
• Clapton Girls' Academy: A Hackney secondary school operating in the same local authority catchment and admissions system as Skinners' Academy, competing for the same Year 7 cohort and serving a similarly diverse intake.
• Mossbourne Community Academy: A high-performing state secondary academy in Hackney serving a similarly diverse intake in the same local admissions market as Skinners' Academy. Directly competes for Year 7 pupils under Hackney Education's co-ordinated admissions and is the benchmark secondary school in the borough.
• The City Academy, Hackney: A state secondary academy in Hackney sponsored by a City of London institution, with a similar mission, intake demographics, and specialism model to Skinners' Academy. Directly competes in the same Hackney admissions catchment.
• The Skinners' Kent Academy: A secondary academy in Kent that is part of the same Skinners' Academies Trust as Skinners' Academy. Operates the same enterprise specialism ethos, sponsor relationship, and Trust governance model.
• Marsh Academy: A secondary academy in New Romney, Kent, also sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Skinners and part of the same Multi-Academy Trust. Provides a directly comparable model of state secondary provision under shared governance.

Broad incumbents

• ARK Academy (ARK Academies): A secondary academy in Wembley operated by ARK, one of the UK's largest education charities running a network of academies. Comparable to Skinners' Academy as an urban MAT secondary operating with a sponsor-charity governance model.
• Harris Academy Bermondsey: A secondary school within the Harris Federation, one of the largest Multi-Academy Trusts in London. Comparable as a large MAT-operated urban secondary academy competing in the broader London state-school market, with shared back-office scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/skinnersacademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/skinnersacademy/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skinners'-academy

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Skinners' Academy