The Sir Robert Woodard Academy

What The Sir Robert Woodard Academy does

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy is a UK state-funded secondary academy serving students aged 11-18 from Lancing, Sompting and Shoreham in West Sussex, England. The academy was established under the Woodard Academies Trust, an education charity formed in 2007 that sponsors six academies across the UK. Operated as a non-profit entity under registered company number 6415727, the academy is led by Principal Mr Kieran Scanlon and employs 76 staff. It offers a full secondary curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 (GCSE) and post-16 education through its W6 Sixth Form, which provides 24+ A-Level and BTEC subject options spanning sciences, humanities, arts, languages, and vocational pathways.

The academy's operational model relies on standard educational technology: Google Classroom for homework management, Canvas LMS for W6 Sixth Form, Arbor for student information and parent communication, ParentPay for payment processing, Access-IT for library management, and Tassomai and Adapt for revision support. It pursues strategic enrichment through partnerships with the IRIS (Institute of Research in Schools) as a hub school enabling CERN and NASA-linked projects, Ricardo for engineering engagement, University of Sussex/Brighton/Chichester for academic extension, and Chichester Festival Theatre and National Theatre for performing arts programmes. The technology stack is conventional rather than proprietary, with no disclosed AI/ML capability, API platform, or data products.

The business model is government-funded education: revenue is derived from UK Department for Education per-pupil funding allocations channeled through the Woodard Academies Trust, with no tuition fees charged. Ancillary revenue streams include optional paid services such as catering, educational trips (including international visits to Spain and Germany), and an emerging facilities-letting channel via SchoolHire. Distribution is purely domestic and geographically constrained to the local catchment, with go-to-market executed through the academy website, parent bulletins, social media (Facebook, X/Twitter), prospectus distribution, and open evenings.

Name

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy

Legal name

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy

Website

https://srwa.woodard.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy is a UK state-funded secondary academy serving students aged 11-18 in Lancing, Sompting and Shoreham, West Sussex. Operated by Woodard Academies Trust, it delivers GCSE, A-Level and BTEC programmes through its W6 Sixth Form under per-pupil government funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Charter College-Prep & Advanced Academics Schools (EDAJACAJ)

Keywords

• Secondary education
• GCSE curriculum
• Sixth form education
• A-Level programmes
• BTEC vocational courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Sompting, Lancing

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, Others

Revenue model

1. State Education Funding: As a state-funded academy, the school receives government funding through the Woodard Academies Trust to provide free education to students aged 11-18. Revenue is derived from per-pupil funding allocations from the UK Department for Education.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy is a state-funded secondary school and sixth form providing free education to students aged 11-18 in the Lancing, Sompting and Shoreham area of West Sussex. Its core academic offering spans Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 (GCSE) studies across sciences, humanities, languages, arts and vocational subjects, plus the W6 Sixth Form delivering 24+ A-Level and BTEC options for ages 16-18. The academy supplements academic delivery with pastoral care, an ASPIRE behavioural and achievement framework, a Super Curriculum enrichment programme, and extra-curricular clubs, trips and partnerships with universities and industry bodies.

Product overview

The Sir Robert Woodard Academy operates as an 11-18 secondary school and sixth form providing comprehensive educational services. The core offering includes GCSE curriculum at Key Stage 4 and A-Level/BTEC programmes at W6 Sixth Form with over 24 subject options including sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science), humanities (History, Geography, Politics, Sociology, Philosophy & Ethics), arts (Art, Photography, Drama, Dance, Media Studies, Performing Arts), languages (French, Spanish), and vocational courses (Sport BTEC, Production Arts, 3D Design). Supporting programmes include the Super Curriculum enrichment activities, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Junior Band music programme, Adapt Revision App, and school policies such as Phone Free School. The academy also provides extra-curricular clubs, educational trips (including international visits to Spain and Germany), and pastoral support through the ASPIRE framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• W6 Sixth Form: The academy's sixth form provision offering A-Level and BTEC courses for students aged 16-18.

Products and services

• W6 Sixth Form

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Woodard Academies TrustcoreOthersThe academy is sponsored by Woodard Academies Trust, an education charity formed in 2007 to deliver an academy programme on behalf of Woodard Schools. The trust currently sponsors six academies across the UK.
• RicardocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld-leading engineering firm with strong links to the academy. Students visit Ricardo facilities and work with engineers on projects. Physics students have opportunities for CREST Gold Award involvement. Partnership also supports Gold Crest Award/Extended Project for students.
• IRIS (Institute of Research in Schools)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe academy is a hub school for IRIS, enabling students to participate in real-world scientific projects including work with CERN and NASA. Physics and Biology students engage in cutting-edge research projects.
• University of SussexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiology students visit university labs and participate in undergraduate-level practical investigations. Chemistry students also visit labs and engage with university-level work.
• CERNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysics students have opportunities to engage in real-world scientific projects through the IRIS partnership with CERN.
• NASAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhysics students have opportunities to engage in real-world scientific projects through the IRIS partnership with NASA.
• Marwell ZoominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiology students have visited Marwell Zoo as part of their educational enrichment activities.
• Natural History MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiology students have visited the Natural History Museum as part of their educational enrichment.
• Chichester Festival TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforming Arts students participate in workshops and performances. The academy runs trips and workshops with the theatre, including the National Theatre Connections programme.
• National TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerforming Arts students participate in the National Theatre Connections programme, performing at The Alan Strong Theatre and Minerva Theatre in Chichester.
• The Alan Strong TheatreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerformance venue for National Theatre Connections programme productions.
• Minerva Theatre ChichesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPerformance venue for National Theatre Connections programme productions.
• Brighton PhotoworksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhotography students benefit from workshops and learning experiences provided by Brighton Photoworks, an industry partner offering invaluable industry connections.
• University of SussexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilosophy, Religion and Ethics department invites external speakers including Philosophy lecturers from the University of Sussex.
• University of BrightonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilosophy, Religion and Ethics department invites external speakers including Philosophy lecturers from the University of Brighton.
• Chichester CathedralminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStudents attend Philosophy and Ethics conferences at Chichester Cathedral.
• AuschwitzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo students are selected annually for a Holocaust project involving a trip to Auschwitz and meeting with Holocaust survivors.
• University of SussexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistory students attend lectures at Sussex, Brighton and Chichester Universities as part of their enrichment activities.
• University of BrightonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistory students attend lectures at Sussex, Brighton and Chichester Universities as part of their enrichment activities.
• Chichester UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistory students attend lectures at Sussex, Brighton and Chichester Universities as part of their enrichment activities.
• Pineapple StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance students have the opportunity to visit Pineapple Studios in London as part of industry-related trips.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: A large multi-academy trust operating both state-funded and independent schools across the UK. Comparable to SRWA as a state secondary academy operator but with a substantially broader portfolio including independent schools.
• Harris Federation: One of the UK's largest multi-academy trusts operating dozens of primary and secondary academies. Compares to SRWA through the same state-funded academy model but at substantially greater scale across London and the South East.
• Oasis Community Learning: A national multi-academy trust running a portfolio of state-funded academies across England. Comparable to SRWA through the academy trust funding and governance model, though with a national footprint.
• Ark Schools: A UK multi-academy trust running state-funded schools. Operates the same academy model as SRWA but across a national network of primary and secondary schools with centralised curriculum and pastoral frameworks.

Others

• Woodard Academies Trust: The parent sponsor of SRWA. Included as an ecosystem participant rather than a peer, since it is the governance and funding conduit through which SRWA operates.

Direct peers

• Bohunt Education Trust: A multi-academy trust sponsoring several UK state secondary schools. Comparable to SRWA as a state secondary academy network with similar per-pupil funding dynamics and Ofsted accountability.
• Kings Priory School: Another Woodard Academies Trust-sponsored school, providing 4-18 education including sixth form, directly comparable in governance, funding model and curriculum structure to SRWA.
• The Littlehampton Academy: A fellow secondary academy within Woodard Academies Trust, serving a comparable 11-18 cohort in West Sussex under the same sponsor model and central trust services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/srwacademy
• Facebookfacebook.com/SirRobertWoodardAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/the-sir-robert-woodard-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sir Robert Woodard Academy