Waterhead Academy

What Waterhead Academy does

Waterhead Academy is a state-funded secondary school located at 529 Huddersfield Road, Lees, Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, serving students aged 11–16 in Years 7 through 11. The academy operates as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status within the South Pennine Academies multi-academy trust, under the regulatory oversight of the UK Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). Its core offering is a full secondary education programme preparing students for GCSE qualifications across 19+ subjects, including vocational pathways such as Hair & Beauty, Health & Social Care, and Enterprise. The academy supplements its curriculum with enrichment programmes including the NHS Cadets initiative (in partnership with St John Ambulance), Manchester United Foundation school football and mentoring, a House System, and structured careers education aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks and the Quality in Careers Standard.

The school's technology footprint is conventional for a UK state secondary: Microsoft Teams serves as the primary virtual learning environment for remote learning and communication, supported by ParentPay for fee collection, Behaviour Watch for student conduct tracking, and the My Ed School App for parent engagement. There is no proprietary technology platform, no AI capabilities, and no public API. Teaching and learning rely on standard pedagogical tools, and the school's recognized differentiators are its community partnerships, pastoral care, and extracurricular ecosystem rather than technology.

Revenue is generated entirely through UK government education funding disbursed via the ESFA, with no tuition fees charged to families. The academy supplements its core grant through charitable fundraising (e.g., for NorthCare Charity) and community lettings, but commercial revenue is structurally zero. Its go-to-market is admissions through the Oldham local authority catchment process, and marketing is conducted through the school website, social channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook), a monthly newsletter, and an annual prospectus. The academy is governed by a Local Academy Board under the trust, with Mrs T Foy serving as Principal and Mr Kash Rafiq as Executive Principal overseeing three South Pennine Academies.

Name

Waterhead Academy

Legal name

Waterhead Academy

Website

https://waterheadacademy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Waterhead Academy is a UK state-funded secondary school in Oldham, Greater Manchester, serving students aged 11–16 (Years 7–11) under the South Pennine Academies trust, funded entirely by the Education and Skills Funding Agency and offering GCSE preparation, careers education, and community-partnered enrichment programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oldham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: State-funded secondary school operating under the South Pennine Academies trust, funded through the UK government's Education Funding Agency for providing secondary education services to students in Years 7-11

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Waterhead Academy is a state-funded secondary school academy in Oldham, UK, providing comprehensive education to students aged 11–16 (Years 7–11) leading to GCSE qualifications. The core offering spans a 19+ subject curriculum, careers education and guidance aligned with Gatsby Benchmarks, safeguarding and pastoral care, and an extra-curricular enrichment programme including the NHS Cadets initiative, Manchester United Foundation partnership activities, and remote learning delivered through Microsoft Teams.

Product overview

Waterhead Academy is a secondary school providing educational services for students in Years 7-11, located in Oldham, UK. The academy offers a comprehensive curriculum across core and elective subjects, supported by a virtual learning environment (VLE) for remote/distance learning. Key services include GCSE preparation, careers guidance, extra-curricular activities, and specialized programs such as the NHS Cadets initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secondary Education Programme (Years 7–11) Core secondary education programme for students aged 11–16 delivering a curriculum across 19+ GCSE subjects (English, Mathematics, Science, MFL, Creative Arts, PE, vocational options including Hair & Beauty, Health & Social Care, and Design Technology) plus PSHE, Citizenship and SMSC. Designed for state-funded pupils in the Oldham catchment area and leading to GCSE qualifications and post-16 destinations.
• Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) Careers education programme for students in Years 7–11 aligned with the Gatsby Benchmarks, delivering careers lessons, employer encounters, provider access, post-16 destinations tracking, and alumni engagement. Recognised with the Quality in Careers Standard Award. Targeted at students preparing GCSE options and post-16 choices.
• NHS Cadets Programme Enrichment programme delivered in partnership with St John Ambulance in which students in Years 9–11 participate as part of the enrichment curriculum, developing confidence, resilience, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Cadets also access Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award opportunities. Waterhead Academy became one of the first secondary schools nationally to deliver this programme.

Quantifiable outcome

• Majority of students secure first-choice college, apprenticeship or employment placements
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Manchester United FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Manchester United Foundation to deliver motivational and inspiring projects to pupils, helping them reach their full potential. The foundation places Community Development Officers in the area and delivers the Manchester United School Football Programme. The partnership also includes mentoring of individual students to develop confidence and leadership skills, and targets to increase girls' participation in football through after-school clubs.
• South Pennine Academies TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterhead Academy is a partner in the South Pennine Academies family, a multi-academy trust. The trust provides strategic oversight and support to the academy while allowing individual schools to maintain their local identity and community focus.
• St John Ambulance (NHS Cadets Programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWaterhead Academy became one of the first secondary schools nationally to deliver the NHS Cadets Programme. Students in Years 9-11 participate as part of the enrichment curriculum. The programme helps students improve confidence and develop skills including resilience, problem solving and teamwork. Cadets also gain access to Duke of Edinburgh's Award and Inspiring Digital Enterprise Award opportunities.
• Moor End AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMr Kash Rafiq serves as Executive Principal for both Waterhead Academy and Moor End Academy, indicating shared leadership and potential collaborative opportunities between the two academies within the trust.
• NorthCare CharityminorOthersWaterhead Academy pledged support to NorthCare Charity, focusing fundraising efforts on the Neonatal Department at Royal Oldham Hospital. Students created projects focused on mental health impact and staff completed fundraising activities.
• Oldham CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Inspiring Enterprise events where Year 9 students attend entrepreneurship workshops at the college. Collaboration with other local schools including Hulme Grammar, Bluecoat School, North Chadderton, Failsworth Co-op Academy and The Radclyffe School.
• Huddersfield HorizonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for teacher training opportunities, offering professional development pathways for aspiring teachers.
• Destiny Africa Choir / Kampala Children's CentreminorOthersThe Destiny Africa Choir from Uganda visited the academy, and students raised £1100 to support the Kampala Children's Centre. The partnership provides cultural exchange and international community engagement opportunities.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Moor End Academy: Also a secondary academy within the South Pennine Academies trust sharing Executive Principal Mr Kash Rafiq. Directly comparable as a fellow Oldham-area secondary academy under identical governance and funding structure.
• Hulme Grammar School: Secondary school in Oldham area referenced as a peer collaboration partner. Comparable as a secondary institution operating in the same geographic market, though with independent/grammar status rather than academy.
• North Chadderton School: Oldham-area secondary school listed as a collaboration partner. Directly comparable as a neighboring state-funded secondary competing for similar student catchment in Oldham.
• Park Lane Academy: Another South Pennine Academies secondary school under shared Executive Principal leadership. Directly comparable as a sister academy in the same trust with identical funding and governance model.
• The Radclyffe School: Secondary school in Oldham referenced as a peer in collaborative enterprise events. Directly comparable as a state-funded secondary competing in the same Oldham admissions market.
• Bluecoat School: Oldham-area secondary school referenced in Waterhead's enterprise collaboration. Comparable as a state-funded secondary competing in the same Oldham catchment area.
• Failsworth Co-op Academy: A secondary academy in Oldham named as a peer collaborator on enterprise events. Directly comparable as a state-funded secondary school serving overlapping catchment in the same local authority area.

Broad incumbents

• Manchester Academy: Established secondary school in nearby Manchester serving a similar urban demographic. Comparable as a state-funded secondary in the Greater Manchester region addressing similar social mobility and post-16 destination challenges.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TeamWaterhead
• Facebookfacebook.com/1BV8kcr3Ez
• Instagramwaterheadacademy.co.uk/Instagram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waterhead-academy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Waterhead Academy