Palladian Academy Trust

What Palladian Academy Trust does

Palladian Academy Trust is a UK-registered multi-academy trust (Company Registration Number 8061092) operating 13 primary and secondary schools across Bath and Wiltshire, serving approximately 3,964 students aged 4-19 with a workforce of 593 full-time and part-time staff. Founded in 2016 and named after the Palladian Bridge in Prior Park, the trust is a values-driven organisation (core values of respect, trust, courage, and curiosity) operating under a shared vision of 'excellent and equitable opportunities so everyone can flourish'. It is governed by a board of trustees, with Lakmini Harkus appointed CEO in April 2026 (succeeding Donna Tandy) and Julia Finch as Chief Finance & Operations Officer. Headquartered at The Bridge, 150 Frome Road, Bath, the trust partners formally with BANES and Wiltshire local authorities and the Dioceses of Bath and Wells and Salisbury.

The trust's core offering is its network of schools delivering primary, secondary, and post-16 education, supported by four ancillary service lines: (i) National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses delivered since 2023 as an accredited Best Practice Network partner; (ii) the whole-school Thrive approach for social and emotional development; (iii) shared central facilities at The Bridge (The Annexe capacity 10, The Big Room capacity 40) used for professional development and hireable to external agencies and commercial users; and (iv) civic/community programmes such as the BA2gether locality partnership and Bath Beat community event. There is no proprietary technology platform; the trust operates as a traditional education provider with standard school-admissions, content, and back-office systems.

Revenue is derived almost entirely from UK government per-pupil funding routed via the Department for Education and local authorities, supplemented by modest ancillary income from NPQ course delivery and facility hire. As a non-profit trust, surpluses are reinvested into educational provision. The go-to-market is community-led, with student recruitment via local-authority admissions, supplemented by earned media (Bath & Wiltshire Parent Magazine), organic social (Instagram), YouTube updates, and community events. There is no external ownership, venture capital backing, or parent company; the trust is standalone with wholly-owned constituent schools.

Name

Palladian Academy Trust

Legal name

Palladian Academy Trust

Website

https://www.palladianacademytrust.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Palladian Academy Trust is a UK multi-academy trust operating 13 primary and secondary schools across Bath and Wiltshire, serving approximately 3,964 students aged 4-19, funded primarily by government per-pupil grants via the Department for Education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust (K-12 Education)

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Elementary Schools (EDAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Middle Schools (EDAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust
• Primary and secondary education
• School network management
• Teacher professional development
• Community school partnership

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Education Funding: As a multi-academy trust, Palladian Academy Trust receives government funding from the Department for Education to operate its network of 13 schools serving approximately 3,964 students aged 4-19.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Palladian Academy Trust operates a network of 13 primary and secondary schools across Bath and Wiltshire delivering education to approximately 3,964 students aged 4-19. The trust offers the whole-school Thrive wellbeing approach, accredited National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses for educators since 2023, shared professional development facilities at The Bridge, and hireable meeting and event spaces for schools and external agencies.

Product overview

Palladian Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust operating 13 schools (primary and secondary) across Bath and Wiltshire, providing education for students aged 4-19. The trust's core offering is its network of schools delivering educational services under a unified vision of 'excellent and equitable opportunities so everyone can flourish.' Supporting the schools are shared facilities (The Bridge for meetings and professional development), NPQ professional qualification courses delivered as an accredited Best Practice Network partner since 2023, the whole-school Thrive mental health and wellbeing approach, and hireable facilities for community and commercial use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Palladian Academy Trust Family of Schools A network of 13 primary and secondary schools across Bath and Wiltshire delivering education to students aged 4-19 under a unified vision of 'excellent and equitable opportunities so everyone can flourish.' Each school maintains its distinctiveness while benefiting from shared central services, professional development, and collaborative practices across the trust.
• NPQ (National Professional Qualification) Courses Accredited National Professional Qualification (NPQ) courses delivered through the trust's partnership with Best Practice Network, providing leadership and specialist qualifications for teachers and educators both within the trust and the wider region.
• Thrive Whole-School Wellbeing Approach A whole-school mental health and wellbeing approach implemented across all Palladian schools, providing emotional and social development support for pupils as a core part of the trust's educational framework.
• The Bridge - Shared Trust Facility A shared Trust space located at St. Martin's Garden Primary School, serving as the home of the Central Team and a hub for professional development activity, meetings, and events used by all schools in the trust.
• School Hire Facilities (The Annexe and The Big Room) Meeting and event space hire at The Bridge, including The Annexe (capacity 10) and The Big Room (capacity 40), available to Palladian schools, external agencies, and commercial users with concessionary rates for education providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Featured in South West Social Mobility Commission Report 'The Equity Scorecard' for changing language of disadvantage
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Best Practice NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Palladian Academy Trust is an accredited delivery partner for Best Practice Network, delivering NPQ (National Professional Qualification) courses since 2023. This partnership provides professional development opportunities for teachers across the region.
• BANES (Bath and North East Somerset Council)coreOthersLocal authority partnership for education services in Bath and North East Somerset area.
• Wiltshire CouncilcoreOthersLocal authority partnership for education services in Wiltshire area.
• Diocese of Bath and WellscoreOthersDiocesan partnership for church schools within the trust.
• Diocese of SalisburycoreOthersDiocesan partnership for church schools within the trust.
• Canal and River TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Canal and River Trust to host Bath Beat community event at Bath Rec.
• BA2gether PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocality partnership bringing together schools in the BA2 postcode area, bridging Bath and Northeast Somerset and Wiltshire local authorities. Orchestrated by Palladian Academy Trust as part of its civic presence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Reach2: One of the UK's largest primary-focused multi-academy trusts. Directly comparable to the primary-school-heavy portion of Palladian's network, operating under the same academy trust funding model and serving similar pupil demographics.
• United Learning: One of the UK's largest multi-academy trusts, operating primary and secondary schools nationally including in the South West. Directly comparable to Palladian as a MAT operating across the same age range and funding model, but at significantly greater scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Harris Federation: Large London-origin multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools nationally with a strong school-improvement focus. Comparable to Palladian in operating model and emphasis on outcomes, with the new CEO's Ofsted background closely aligned to Harris's inspection-led improvement culture.
• Star Academies: Multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools nationally with a focus on disadvantaged communities. Comparable to Palladian in equity-focused mission and operating model, though at significantly larger scale.
• Oasis Community Learning: National multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across England, with a strong community and social-mobility mission similar to Palladian's BA2gether locality partnership approach. Comparable in values-driven positioning and MAT operating model.

Others

• Best Practice Network: UK provider of National Professional Qualifications and educator training programmes, partnered with Palladian as an accredited NPQ delivery partner since 2023. Comparable as the upstream training and certification partner underpinning Palladian's NPQ revenue stream.
• Confederation of School Trusts: UK sector body representing multi-academy trusts and other school trusts. Palladian featured in CST's 'Partnership Dividend' publication as a case study, indicating an institutional peer relationship. Relevant as an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Priory Learning Trust: Multi-academy trust operating a family of schools in the South West of England including primary and secondary phases. Closely comparable as a regional MAT with a similar school mix, age range and local authority engagement model.
• Cathedral Schools Trust: Bristol-based multi-academy trust operating a network of primary and secondary schools with a faith-school heritage, similar in mission and region to Palladian. Closely comparable as a regional MAT operating across Bristol/Bath/West of England with a similar mix of church and non-church schools.

Regional players

• Diocese of Bath and Wells Education: Diocesan body overseeing Church of England schools in the Bath and Somerset region, including several schools within Palladian's network. Comparable as a regional partner shaping admissions and character of Palladian's CofE schools, though it operates as a governance body rather than a MAT.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/palladianacademytrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Palladian Academy Trust