St Columba's Catholic Primary School

What St Columba's Catholic Primary School does

St Columba's Catholic Primary School is a state-funded Catholic primary school located on Lickey Road in Rednal, Birmingham, UK, operating as part of the Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy Company (MAC), a federation of eight Birmingham Catholic schools. It delivers full National Curriculum education from Reception through Year 6 (ages 4-11) with an estimated 200-250 pupils and 62 staff, governed by a School Standards Committee under the MAC Board of Directors, with Foundation Governors appointed by the Birmingham Diocese. Its core academic product spans English, Maths, Science, the full foundation subject set, and a Catholic Religious Education curriculum that integrates Catholic Social Teaching, sacramental preparation, prayer and liturgy, and multi-faith awareness. SEND provision, phonics via Read Write Inc, two weekly PE sessions, a Computing and Online Safety programme, and a Relationships and Health Education (RHE) curriculum round out the educational offer, supplemented by extra-curricular clubs (HIIT, football, dance, netball) and wraparound breakfast and after-school care.

The school runs on a state-funding business model: statutory education is tuition-free, with revenue derived from per-pupil government grants, Pupil Premium, Sports Premium, SEND top-up funding, and modest fee income from wraparound services. Admissions are faith-criteria-gated and managed centrally through the Lumen Christi MAC. The technology stack is conventional and primarily consumer-facing: a Primarysite CMS website, parent portal, email newsletters, embedded video (YouTube/Vimeo) and content services (Embedly), web analytics (Matomo), bot protection (reCaptcha), and student-facing platforms including IXL, Times Tables Rock Stars, Read Write Inc, and the 1-Minute Maths App. There is no proprietary technology, no commercial product, and no AI/ML capability developed in-house.

The school is led by Principal Mrs Linda Southerton, with governance chaired by Mr David Holmes (ex-Cadbury) and vice-chaired by Dr Rachel Gould (doctorate in Catholic School Leadership). The institution is not an investable entity in the conventional PE/VC sense: it is a non-profit, state-funded academy with no equity instruments, no disclosed revenue, no private capital, and no expansion mandate beyond maintaining its current single-site operation.

Name

St Columba's Catholic Primary School

Legal name

St Columba's Catholic Primary School

Website

https://stcolumba.bham.sch.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

St Columba's Catholic Primary School is a state-funded Catholic primary school in Rednal, Birmingham, serving approximately 200-250 Reception-to-Year-6 pupils as part of the eight-school Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy. It delivers the National Curriculum with a Catholic RE focus under Diocesan governance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111), Educational Services (61)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE)

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Primary school curriculum
• Religious education
• Special educational needs
• Extra-curricular clubs

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

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, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

St Columba's Catholic Primary School provides state-funded Catholic primary education for children from Reception through Year 6 (ages 4–11), delivering the full National Curriculum alongside Catholic Religious Education, sacramental preparation, SEND support, phonics (Read Write Inc), maths and times tables fluency tools, and a range of before-, during- and after-school care and extra-curricular activities.

Product overview

St Columba's Catholic Primary School operates as a single-site Catholic primary school offering Reception through Year 6 education. The school's educational portfolio includes a comprehensive National Curriculum with strong emphasis on Catholic RE, SEND support services, two weekly PE sessions, computing with online safety focus, and extra-curricular clubs. Digital learning tools include IXL, Times Tables Rock Stars, Read Write Inc Phonics, and the 1-Minute Maths App. The school uses Primarysite as its website CMS and provides SATs preparation for Year 6 students. The school is part of the Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Primary Education Program (Reception to Year 6)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lumen Christi Catholic Multi AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt Columba's is part of the Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy which comprises eight Catholic schools in Birmingham. The MAC is governed by a Board of Directors who delegate responsibilities to School Standards Committees.
• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Catholic secondary school feeder relationship. Year 5 students visit for pilgrimage events. Primary transition partner for Year 6 leavers.
• Birmingham DiocesecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe school has Foundation Governors appointed by the Diocese. Diocesan oversight of Catholic education standards and religious character. Section 48 inspections conducted.
• St Brigid's ParishminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal parish connection for Chair of Governors David Holmes. Parish relationships support Catholic life and mission of the school.
• St Joseph and Helen's Catholic Church, Selly OakminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch connection for Foundation Governor Dr Rachel Gould who serves as safeguarding officer. Parish-school partnership for Catholic community engagement.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Academies Enterprise Trust (AET): Large national multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies across England; comparable as a broad incumbent alternative to Lumen Christi MAC for non-faith or non-Birmingham-aligned families, illustrating the alternative governance model for primary schools.

Direct peers

• Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Primary School: Another diocesan Catholic primary within the Birmingham area with similar faith-based admissions and National Curriculum delivery; competes for the same faith-aligned family demographic.
• St John Fisher Catholic Primary School: Sibling Catholic primary school within the Lumen Christi MAC, sharing governance, curriculum framework, and Birmingham catchment. The current Vice Chair of St Columba's SSC is Principal here, evidencing close operational ties.
• St Chad's Catholic Primary School (Birmingham): Diocesan Catholic primary in Birmingham with overlapping catchment and faith-based admissions criteria; competes for the same Catholic-family pupil pool within the Lumen Christi / diocesan ecosystem.
• Holy Trinity Catholic Primary School (Birmingham): Catholic primary school within the Birmingham Diocesan network serving a similar demographic of faith-based families; comparable in size, curriculum scope, and admissions criteria as a local peer in the same market.
• Birmingham Diocesan Education Service: Diocesan body that appoints Foundation Governors, conducts Section 48 inspections, and sets Catholic mission standards across Birmingham Catholic schools — directly comparable as the regulator/peer overseeing St Columba's operations.
• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary School: Local Catholic secondary feeder school for St Columba's Year 6 leavers; operates within the wider Catholic education ecosystem in Birmingham and shares the same diocesan governance framework, making it the most directly comparable peer in mission and catchment.
• Lumen Christi Catholic Multi Academy: The parent Multi Academy Company comprising eight Birmingham Catholic schools including St Columba's. Operates shared governance, policies, and standards across member primaries and secondaries, making it the central operating peer.

Regional players

• King Edward VI Five Ways School: Selective state secondary in the Birmingham area often considered by higher-attaining Year 6 leavers; comparable as a regional peer shaping parental school-choice decisions feeding from St Columba's cohort.
• Colmers School (Secondary): Local non-Catholic secondary school in the Rednal/Longbridge area; relevant as a regional competitor for pupil choice within the same Birmingham catchment but differentiated by its non-faith status.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-columba's-catholic-primary-school

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 St Columba's Catholic Primary School