South Pennine Academies

What South Pennine Academies does

South Pennine Academies is a cross-phase Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) established in 2012 and headquartered in Elland, West Yorkshire, England. The trust operates 11 primary and secondary academies across the Huddersfield, Oldham, Dewsbury, and Halifax areas, comprising eight primary schools (Beaumont, Orchard, Willowpark, Woodlands, Greenacres, Brambles, Hillside, Kirkheaton) and three secondary schools (Moor End, Waterhead, Park Lane), serving students from early years through Key Stage 4 and post-16 preparation. The trust also operates Huddersfield Horizon SCITT, a school-centred initial teacher training provider accredited by the University of Huddersfield that awards QTS and PGCE qualifications, and runs an SPA Business and Training Centre delivering professional development to internal staff and external delegates.

The trust's core products are publicly funded primary and secondary education, teacher training, and continuous professional development. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is operational through physical academy sites and the central training centre. Supporting partners include East Manchester Teaching School Hub (ECF/NPQ delivery), Steplab (professional development platform), BeReady (apprenticeship delivery), and the University of Huddersfield (PGCE accreditation). Outcomes are validated through Ofsted inspections, with Huddersfield Horizon SCITT rated Outstanding in November 2019 and Moor End Academy achieving Outstanding with a Progress 8 score of +0.78.

The revenue model is government grant funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) based on pupil numbers across the 11 academies, supplemented by income from SCITT fees, apprenticeship levy-funded programmes, and external CPD/training centre delegates. Pricing is not publicly disclosed as admissions are governed by national school admission codes and local authority arrangements. The trust is governed by a Board of Trustees and Members under Master Funding Agreements with the Department for Education, with the CEO also serving as Chief Accounting Officer. Leadership is led by CEO Alison Black (14+ years as headteacher, serving Ofsted inspector) and Chair of Trustees Lisa Fathers (OBE 2025 for services to education).

Name

South Pennine Academies

Legal name

South Pennine Academies

Website

https://southpennineacademies.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

South Pennine Academies is a West Yorkshire Multi-Academy Trust operating 11 primary and secondary schools plus Huddersfield Horizon SCITT teacher training, funded by ESFA grants and serving students aged 5-16 across Kirklees and Oldham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a multi-academy trust, South Pennine Academies receives government funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) based on pupil numbers across its 11 academies. Revenue is used to operate primary and secondary schools and deliver educational services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

South Pennine Academies is a cross-phase Multi-Academy Trust operating 11 primary and secondary academies across West Yorkshire delivering government-funded education to children aged 5–16. The trust also runs Huddersfield Horizon SCITT, a school-centred initial teacher training provider offering QTS and PGCE accredited by the University of Huddersfield, and operates a Professional Development Programme for staff and external delegates at its SPA Business & Training Centre.

Product overview

South Pennine Academies is a cross-phase Trust operating 11 primary and secondary academies alongside Huddersfield Horizon SCITT (Initial Teacher Training provider). The Trust provides educational services through its network of primary schools (Beaumont, Orchard, Willowpark, Woodlands, Greenacres, Brambles, Hillside, Kirkheaton) and secondary schools (Moor End, Waterhead, Park Lane). Supporting the academies are the Huddersfield Horizon SCITT offering QTS and PGCE teacher training, and a Professional Development Programme providing research-informed training for staff. The Trust operates under values of Inclusion, Integrity, and Ambition, promoting collaboration and professional generosity across its network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Huddersfield Horizon SCITT: School-Centred Initial Teacher Training provider offering QTS and PGCE programmes accredited by University of Huddersfield.

Products and services

• South Pennine Academies Primary Schools
• South Pennine Academies Secondary Schools
• Huddersfield Horizon SCITT
• Professional Development Programme
• SPA Business & Training Centre

Quantifiable outcome

• Moor End Academy achieved Progress 8 score of +0.78 and Outstanding Ofsted rating under trust leadership
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• East Manchester Teaching School HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEast Manchester Teaching School Hub is a school-led centre of excellence for teacher training and development. They are delivery partner on the new ECF (Early Career Framework) curriculum and work with South Pennine Academies on national professional qualifications. SPA lead is Amanda Underhill.
• Be ReadycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBeReady is a dedicated skills partner delivering global award-winning online learning programmes funded via Apprenticeship Levy. They offer two SPA apprenticeships: Level 3 Early Years Educator with SEND and Level 3 SEND Teaching Assistant programme, structured to fit around work with children.
• SteplabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSteplab is a complete professional development platform using evidence-based tools and analytics to help teachers, TAs, pastoral staff and leaders improve teaching and learning. Created by education experts and grounded in research.
• UCL Institute of EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned as partner on ECF delivery alongside East Manchester Teaching School Hub, contributing to initial teacher training and professional development programmes.
• University of HuddersfieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Huddersfield accredits the PGCE element of Huddersfield Horizon SCITT teacher training programme. SCITT trainees graduate with QTS and PGCE upon successful completion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Greenwood Academies Trust: Large UK multi-academy trust with a primary and secondary school portfolio across the East Midlands and East of England. Operates the same ESFA-funded, DfE-regulated model as SPA but with substantially more schools and broader geographic reach.
• Ormiston Academies Trust: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts, operating 40+ schools nationally. Overlaps with SPA on cross-phase K-12 delivery and ESFA funding model but at materially larger scale; serves as a benchmark for the scale ceiling SPA could approach if sponsor-academy growth continues.
• Star Academies: Large UK multi-academy trust running primary and secondary schools including faith and non-faith provision. Competes with SPA for sponsor-academy opportunities and operates under the same DfE regulatory and funding framework.

Direct peers

• Academy Transformation Trust: Mid-sized multi-academy trust operating a comparable cross-phase portfolio of primary and secondary academies across the Midlands and North of England. Similar school improvement mission and DfE funding model to South Pennine Academies.
• Reach Academy Trust: Cross-phase multi-academy trust with a similar size profile and school improvement orientation, providing a directly comparable governance, funding, and curriculum delivery model to South Pennine Academies.
• Northern Education Trust: Northern England multi-academy trust operating a mix of primary and secondary academies with a comparable school improvement and inclusion focus. Geographic and operational overlap with SPA's West Yorkshire footprint.
• Impact Education Multi Academy Trust: Yorkshire-based multi-academy trust running a portfolio of primary and secondary schools including Newsome Academy in Huddersfield. Geographic overlap with SPA in West Yorkshire and a directly comparable school improvement mandate; SPA co-opted trustee Dean Watkin currently serves as headteacher within Impact Education.
• Co-op Academies Trust: UK multi-academy trust operating around 40 schools across the North of England. Directly comparable governance and operating model to South Pennine Academies; SPA trustee Juliet Caunt previously served as Chief People Officer at Co-op Academies Trust as it scaled from 6 to ~40 schools, providing direct insight into a closely analogous growth path.

Others

• University of Huddersfield: Accredits the PGCE element of Huddersfield Horizon SCITT and is a partner in teacher training delivery. While not a competing school provider, it is a critical capability partner for SPA's SCITT revenue stream and teacher pipeline.
• East Manchester Teaching School Hub: School-led teaching school hub delivering ECF and National Professional Qualifications, partnering with SPA on NPQ delivery. Operates in the same teacher training and development ecosystem as Huddersfield Horizon SCITT and is an enabler rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/southpennineacademies
• Facebookfacebook.com/southpennineacademies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-pennine-academies

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about South Pennine Academies