St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust

What St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust does

St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust (SRSCMAT) is a state-funded Catholic Multi Academy Trust registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales (Company Number 7937154). Formed in September 2018, it operates 25 Catholic academies — 20 primary schools and 5 secondary schools — serving nearly 8,000 children and young people across Derby City, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Stockport, and Nottinghamshire under the spiritual oversight of the Bishop of Nottingham. The trust is one of three CMATs within the Diocese of Nottingham and is governed by Foundation Directors appointed by the Bishop.

Name

St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust

Legal name

St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust

Website

https://srscmat.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The trust operates centralized Finance, HR, Estates and Facilities, School Improvement, and Chaplaincy services on behalf of all 25 academies, plus a Connex Education supply staffing partnership, with an Acting CEO overseeing the organization during a Financial Recovery Plan following a second Financial Notice to Improve from the DfE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Catholic Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Academy trust management
• School improvement services
• Secondary Catholic education
• Centralized education support

Headquarters

HQ city

Derby

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Government/ESFA Funding: State funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for academy operations, including staff salaries and educational services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust (SRSCMAT) operates a unified network of 25 Catholic academies — 20 primary schools and 5 secondary schools — delivering free Catholic education to nearly 8,000 children across Derby City, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, the High Peak and Stockport. The Trust also provides centralized support services (Finance, HR, Estates & Facilities), a School Improvement Team, and Chaplaincy coordination across all academies.

Product overview

St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust (SRSCMAT) operates as a unified network of 25 Catholic academies — 20 primary schools and 5 secondary schools — serving nearly 8,000 children and young people across Derby, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, the High Peak, and Stockport. The Trust is led by Acting CEO Lisa Walton and a Central Leadership Team, with the mission 'Growing in faith, serving with love, transforming our world; together in Christ.' The core offering consists of the individual academy schools themselves (All Saints, Christ the King, English Martyrs', Holy Rosary, St Alban's, St Anne's, St Charles, St Edward's, St Elizabeth's, St George's, St John Fisher, St Joseph's Matlock, St Joseph's Derby, St Margaret's, St Mary's Derby, St Mary's Glossop, St Mary's New Mills, St Mary's Marple Bridge, St Thomas, The Priory as primaries; and Blessed Robert Sutton, Saint Benedict, Saint John Houghton, St Philip Howard, St Thomas More as secondaries). These are supported by central services including Finance, HR, Estates & Facilities management, and a School Improvement Team (Director of Performance and Standards for Secondary and three Primary Directors). The Trust also provides Chaplaincy services coordinated by a Lead Lay Chaplain, and partners with Connex Education for supply staffing needs. The Trust was formed in September 2018 and is one of three CMATs within the Diocese of Nottingham.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Catholic Education Network A network of 20 Catholic primary academies providing free, faith-based education for children aged 4-11 across Derby City, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, High Peak and Stockport.
• Secondary Catholic Education Network A network of 5 Catholic secondary academies delivering GCSE and Sixth Form education for students aged 11-18 across the East Midlands region.
• Central Support Services (Finance, HR, Estates) Centralized Finance team, HR team, and Estates and Facilities function providing compliance, operations, health and safety, contract management and procurement support across all 25 academies.
• School Improvement Services A School Improvement Team consisting of a Director of Performance and Standards (Secondary) and three Directors of Performance and Standards (Primary) who support the 8,000 pupils through evidence-based approaches.
• Chaplaincy Services Full-time Lead Lay Chaplain coordinating chaplaincy across all 25 schools, with the goal of each school having its own Lay Chaplain, supporting spiritual development and Catholic life.
• Connex Education Supply Staffing Bank Trust-wide supply bank operated in partnership with Connex Education providing day-to-day supply, longer-term supply, and permanent positions for teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, ECTs, SEND specialists, early years specialists and tutors across all 25 schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• Combined Reading, Writing and Mathematics expected standard reached 66%, outperforming national average of 63%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CAFODcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking closely with CAFOD, an international development charity and the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Partnership supports the trust's Catholic social teaching and global outreach initiatives through the Laudato Si sustainability program.
• Diocese of NottinghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe trust is one of three CMATs within the Diocese of Nottingham, which covers Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Lincolnshire and most of Nottinghamshire. The Diocese is led by Bishop Patrick McKinney.
• Connex Education PartnershipcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for trust-wide supply bank operation. Connex Education recruits for teachers, teaching assistants, cover supervisors, ECTs, SEND specialists, early years specialists and tutors. Provides access to over 100 CPD courses and fully-funded classroom qualifications.
• Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service (NRCDES)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembers are supported by NRCDES which holds at least one annual meeting to assess CMAT performance. NRCDES supported the preparation and launch of the four CMATs in the Diocese.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Connex Education Partnership: Supply-staffing partner already working with SRSCMAT; adjacent ecosystem participant enabling flexible teacher cover across the Trust's 25 academies.
• Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service (NRCDES): Diocesan education authority overseeing all four Nottingham Catholic MATs including SRSCMAT; relevant governance and inspection counterpart rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust: Sister Catholic MAT within the Diocese of Nottingham, serving schools across overlapping East Midlands geographies. Closest comparable in mission, governance structure, and centralized services model.
• Notre Dame Multi Academy Trust: Catholic MAT operating across multiple Midlands counties with similar central-services model and faith-based K-12 schools; comparable funding structure and regulatory environment.
• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust: The third Catholic MAT within the Diocese of Nottingham; comparable size and faith-based K-12 governance model, competing for parish-driven admissions in adjacent regions.
• Painsley Catholic Academy Trust: Catholic MAT covering Staffordshire and adjacent areas with similar primary/secondary split and Diocese alignment; directly comparable operating model and pupil-funded revenue base.

Regional players

• Diocese of Shrewsbury Catholic Multi Academy Trust: Catholic MAT in a different Diocese but with directly comparable primary/secondary academy portfolio and central back-office structure; useful for benchmarking central-service efficiency.
• Blessed Peter Favre CMAT: Catholic multi-academy trust operating in adjacent Midlands regions; comparable faith-based K-12 mission though smaller scale and different diocesan oversight.

Broad incumbents

• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): One of the largest UK MATs; relevant broad-incumbent comparison for centralized services, school improvement, and financial recovery practices at scale.
• Academy Transformation Trust: Established non-faith multi-academy trust operating across the Midlands with broad primary/secondary portfolio; comparable scale and ESFA funding model but lacks faith-based positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/srscmat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust