The Sabden Multi Academy Trust

What The Sabden Multi Academy Trust does

The Sabden Multi Academy Trust is a UK charitable non-profit Multi Academy Trust (MAT) founded in 2015 and headquartered in Seaford, East Sussex. It operates three retained special academies — Cuckmere House School (Seaford, 97 places for KS1-4), New Horizons School (St Leonards-on-Sea, SEMH-focused KS1-4), and St Mary's School (Heathfield, neurodiversity-affirming KS1-4) — plus the Tower House satellite provision within Cuckmere House (16 places for KS2-3 with autism as priority need alongside SEMH). Two former academies (College Central, transferred 1 September 2025; The Workplace, transferred 1 April 2026) were divested to London South East Academies Trust as part of a portfolio refocus toward Key Stage 1-4 specialist SEND provision. Pupils are admitted exclusively through Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) coordinated by East Sussex County Council ISEND, with no direct public application route.

The trust's pedagogical platform is built on the CARES values framework (Courage, Compassion, Achievement, Accountability, Resilience, Respect, Effort, Engagement, Safety and Support) and a trauma-informed Head, Heart, Hand curriculum, delivered under whole-school training on the Neurosequential Model in Education (NME) led by an on-staff Educational Psychologist. Technology deployment is limited to the Microsoft 365 stack (Teams, Outlook, SharePoint) for communications and remote learning; no proprietary software, APIs, integrations, or AI features are disclosed. Reporting and accreditation layers include two Ofsted inspections of Cuckmere House (January 2024 and July 2025), an Outstanding 2018 rating at New Horizons, Gatsby / Quality in Careers / Investors in Careers accreditations (2022), and Eco Schools Green Flag recognition (2023 and 2024-25). Published 2023 outcomes include a 100% GCSE pass rate in English and Mathematics and an average of 10.5 GCSE qualifications per student, with 100% of the cohort progressing to further education.

The business model is single-vertical state funding: revenue is received from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) per-pupil, supplemented by high-needs top-up funding for EHCPs and a minor ancillary stream from school meal charges at £2.97 per day per pupil. The trust does not publicly disclose revenue. Its GTM motion is community-led and referral-driven, with no commercial sales motion. Marketing channels are limited to the trust website (sabden.org.uk), the DfE Compare School Performance portal, Ofsted Parent View, and local-authority information channels such as the East Sussex Local Offer.

Name

The Sabden Multi Academy Trust

Legal name

Sabden Multi Academy Trust

Website

https://sabden.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Sabden Multi Academy Trust is a UK charitable non-profit Multi Academy Trust operating three special academies in East Sussex — Cuckmere House School, New Horizons School, and St Mary's School — serving pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and Autistic Spectrum Disorder from Key Stage 1 through 4, funded by the ESFA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism-Specific Schools & Programs (EDAKAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Executive Functioning & Academic Skills Intervention (EDAKAKAI)

Keywords

• Special education services
• SEMH provision
• Autism spectrum education
• Alternative provision schools
• Multi academy trust

Headquarters

HQ city

Seaford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a Multi Academy Trust, the organization receives government funding through the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for educating students with EHCPs. Funding is based on the number of pupils and their additional needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Sabden Multi Academy Trust operates a portfolio of UK special schools delivering Social, Emotional & Mental Health (SEMH) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) education from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4. Its core offerings are Cuckmere House School (97 places), New Horizons School, and St Mary's School, supported by the Tower House satellite provision (16 places) for autism-specific intensive support, all delivered through the trust's "Head, Heart, Hand" curriculum and CARES values framework with EHCP-aligned individualized learning.

Product overview

The Sabden Multi Academy Trust operates a portfolio of special schools for children with Social, Emotional & Mental Health needs (SEMH) and Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The core offering includes Cuckmere House School (97 places, KS1-4), New Horizons School (SEMH-focused, KS1-4), and St Mary's School (neurodiversity-focused). Tower House is a specialized satellite provision of Cuckmere House providing 16 places for students with autism and SEMH needs in KS2-3. The schools deliver specialized educational programs through their 'Head, Heart, Hand' curriculum approach and CARES values framework, with provisions including Tower House and Flexible Learning Provision (FLP) for students with significant needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The SABDEN Way: The trust's educational approach and methodology framework
• Tower House
• CARES Values

Products and services

• Cuckmere House School

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MicrosoftcoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Teams used for remote learning platform; Microsoft Outlook for staff email communication. Trust operates SharePoint-based systems for educational delivery.
• East Sussex County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary local authority partner for student referrals, EHCP coordination, and funding. Contact via Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability Services (ISEND) at County Hall, Lewes.
• East Sussex Local OffercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust aligns with East Sussex Local Offer for SEND information and services, providing coordinated support for families.
• NHS School Health ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth service partnership providing school health nurse support and health advice services to students.
• Triple P Parenting SupportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParenting support program for parents of children aged 2-12 and 11-16 years, providing resources for behavior and emotional support.
• National Crime Agency CEOP EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for online child protection education, helping protect children and young people from online child sexual abuse.
• E-motionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree online counselling service for young people aged 12-18 years in Sussex, providing mental health support.
• Amaze SussexminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity providing advice for young people on mental health and well-being in Sussex.
• i-RockminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport service for young people aged 14-25 in East Sussex offering advice on emotional and mental well-being, jobs, education and housing.
• Allsorts Youth ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTU support organization for children and young people under 26, providing listening, support and connections.
• Local Colleges and Sixth FormscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFurther education partners to which students transition after Year 11. All students in the 2023 exam cohort went on to further education at local colleges or sixth forms.
• Young MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational mental health charity providing resources for young people and parents/carers on emotional well-being.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Outcomes First Group: Operates a national network of specialist schools and residential homes for children with autism, SEMH, and complex needs. Closest commercial analogue to Sabden in terms of operating model and primary need served.
• Cambian Group: UK specialist education and care provider for children with autism, SEMH, and learning disabilities. Directly comparable in target population and operating model, though with broader residential services.
• Hesley Group: Operates specialist schools and residential services for children and adults with autism and complex needs. Comparable in trauma-informed, low-arousal specialist education delivery model.
• Witherslack Group: UK's largest specialist provider of education and care for children with SEMH, autism, and other special needs. Directly comparable as a multi-academy/special school operator serving overlapping populations and commissioning pathways (EHCP/local authority).
• London South East Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust that recently acquired Sabden's College Central and The Workplace, and operates alternative provision and SEND schools in the South East. Directly comparable as a regional SEMH/AP MAT competing for the same local-authority commissioning relationships.
• National Autistic Society (NAS Schools): Operates autism-specific schools and services across the UK. Closest peer for Sabden's Tower House autism-specific provision and overall ASD methodology.

Regional players

• Engage Trust: Multi-academy trust providing alternative provision and SEMH-focused education across parts of England. Comparable in SEMH-focused trust model, though with broader geographic spread.

Emerging players

• Ambitious about Autism: Charity operating specialist schools and college services for autistic children and young people across the UK. Comparable to Sabden's autism-specific education mission (Tower House) though with broader autism advocacy positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Woodard Academies Trust: Large multi-academy trust operating a portfolio of schools including faith-based and specialist provisions. Comparable in trust structure and K-12 operating model, though only a subset of its estate focuses on SEMH/SEND.
• Priory Group (Part of NEW Health & Social Care): Large UK provider of specialist education, residential care, and mental health services including CAMHS. Overlaps with Sabden on SEMH/ASD specialist education but operates a much wider portfolio including healthcare and adult services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-sabden-multi-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Sabden Multi Academy Trust