The STAR Multi Academy Trust

What The STAR Multi Academy Trust does

Yorkshire Learning Trust (YLT) is a UK state-funded charitable Multi Academy Trust formed on 1 September 2025 through the merger of STAR Multi Academy Trust and South York Multi Academy Trust, both established in 2018. YLT operates 17 primary and secondary schools across North Yorkshire and the City of York, serving approximately 7,000 pupils with a combined workforce of around 1,000 staff and a central team of approximately 40. The trust is headquartered at Rose Cottage, Toulston, Tadcaster (LS24 9NB) and is registered as a private, non-share-capital educational charity (Companies House number 11291523) governed by Members and Trustees under Department for Education oversight.

The trust's core offering is centralised educational provision and shared services rather than a technology product. Central services include school improvement, governance, HR, finance, safeguarding and inclusion, curriculum, and environmental sustainability. A sub-brand, Yorkshire Kitchens, provides centralised catering using locally sourced ingredients, supplied through partnerships with Brakes, Tugo, White's Bakery and Love Joes, with a student-designed brand identity. The trust does not operate a proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or API; its digital presence consists of a website (ylt.org.uk), staff vacancies portal, and social channels including LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook.

YLT is funded through the UK government's per-pupil funding formula via local authorities (City of York and North Yorkshire County Council), consistent with the standard Multi Academy Trust revenue model. Growth is gated by Department for Education approval of school transfers and mergers rather than commercial sales. The trust is led by CEO Ian Yapp (former CEO of STAR MAT), Director of Education Steve Lewis (former CEO of SYMAT), Chief Finance Officer Melissa Boyes, and Chief Operating Officer Sam Bradford, combining leadership from both legacy organisations.

Name

The STAR Multi Academy Trust

Legal name

Yorkshire Learning Trust

Website

https://web.starmat.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Yorkshire Learning Trust is a UK state-funded Multi Academy Trust operating 17 primary and secondary schools across North Yorkshire and York, serving approximately 7,000 pupils with around 1,000 staff, formed in September 2025 from the merger of STAR Multi Academy Trust and South York Multi Academy Trust.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Education (Multi Academy Trust)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Basic Education Access & Quality (Primary/Secondary) (BPADAKAA)

Keywords

• Multi academy trust
• Primary education
• Secondary education
• School improvement services
• School catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Tadcaster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. UK Government School Funding: As a state-funded Multi Academy Trust, YLT receives its revenue through UK government per-pupil funding allocations via local authorities (City of York and North Yorkshire County Council), consistent with the national funding formula for academies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The trust operates 17 primary, infant, junior, and secondary schools across North Yorkshire and the City of York, delivering state-funded education to approximately 7,000 pupils. It provides centralised school improvement, governance, HR, finance, curriculum, safeguarding, inclusion, and environmental sustainability services to its member schools, and runs Yorkshire Kitchens, an in-house catering operation supplying fresh meals with locally sourced ingredients.

Product overview

The STAR Multi Academy Trust (now operating as Yorkshire Learning Trust following its September 2025 merger with South York Multi Academy Trust) is an educational trust managing 17 primary and secondary schools across North Yorkshire and York. The trust offers school improvement services, central administrative services, curriculum programs, and environmental sustainability initiatives. Yorkshire Kitchens is a notable service providing fresh school meals across the network. The organization does not operate as a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Yorkshire Kitchens: Catering service providing fresh, nutritious, locally sourced meals across Yorkshire Learning Trust schools. Food is prepared with locally sourced ingredients including bakers, wholesalers, butchers. Students participated in naming and logo creation through a Trust-wide competition.

Products and services

• Yorkshire Kitchens In-house catering service providing fresh, nutritious, locally sourced meals to pupils across all Yorkshire Learning Trust schools. Supplies are sourced from local partners including Brakes (ingredients), Tugo (menu development), White's Bakery, and Love Joes (British Red Tractor certified chicken).

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BrakesminorOthersSupplier of high-quality food and ingredients to Yorkshire Kitchens, the trust's internal catering operation serving fresh meals across its schools.
• TugominorOthersSpecialists in food and menu development for Yorkshire Kitchens, supporting the trust's commitment to nutritious, locally sourced meals.
• White's BakeryminorOthersLocal supplier providing freshly baked products from Barnsley for school meals across YLT schools.
• Love JoesminorOthersSupplier of chicken from British Red Tractor certified farms, supporting Yorkshire Kitchens' commitment to quality and locally sourced ingredients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United Learning: Large national Multi Academy Trust operating both primary and secondary schools across England, with a strong emphasis on school improvement, central services, and a distinctive cultural ethos. Highly comparable to YLT in operating model and DfE oversight, though United Learning is significantly larger and more geographically diversified.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Mid-sized Multi Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools across the East Midlands and East of England. Comparable to Yorkshire Learning Trust in scale, cross-phase coverage, and reliance on central services to drive school improvement across a regional footprint.
• REAch2 Academy Trust: National Multi Academy Trust with a primary-focused portfolio and active growth strategy through school transfers. Comparable to YLT in state-funded per-pupil revenue model, central service functions, and DfE approval-driven expansion, though with a stronger primary emphasis.
• Harris Federation: One of the UK's largest Multi Academy Trusts, operating a portfolio of primary and secondary academies across London and southern England. Directly comparable to Yorkshire Learning Trust in structure (state-funded MAT with central services, cross-phase schools, and a DfE regulatory framework), though significantly larger in scale.
• Delta Academies Trust: Northern England Multi Academy Trust operating a portfolio of primary and secondary schools across Yorkshire and the North. Directly comparable to Yorkshire Learning Trust in regional footprint, cross-phase coverage, and growth-via-merger strategy, making it one of the closest like-for-like peer trusts.
• Anglian Learning: Regional Multi Academy Trust in the East of England operating primary and secondary schools with a comparable school improvement and central services structure. Comparable to YLT in trust model and scale, though serving a different region.
• Northern Education Trust: Multi Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools predominantly in the North of England. Directly comparable to Yorkshire Learning Trust in northern regional footprint, cross-phase coverage, and reliance on DfE-approved school transfers to grow the portfolio.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large national Multi Academy Trust with a values-led ethos ("belonging" and inclusion feature prominently) operating primary and secondary academies across multiple regions. Highly comparable to YLT in cultural positioning, central services structure, and DfE-regulated state funding model, though broader geographically.

Regional players

• Diocese of York Educational Trust: York-area Multi Academy Trust operating Church of England schools, several of which overlap geographically with Yorkshire Learning Trust. Directly comparable in operating model and region, and relevant given that several YLT schools carry CE designations (e.g., Brayton CE Primary, Kirk Fenton CE Primary, Monk Fryston CE Primary).

Broad incumbents

• Academies Enterprise Trust: One of the UK's largest Multi Academy Trusts, operating primary and secondary schools nationally with established central services. Comparable to YLT in operating model and DfE oversight framework, though substantially larger in scale and with a more diverse geographic footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@YorkshireLearningTrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-star-multi-academy-trust
• Facebookfacebook.com/YorkshireLearningTrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The STAR Multi Academy Trust