Haberdashers' Academies Trust South

What Haberdashers' Academies Trust South does

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South is a charitable multi-academy trust (legal name: Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust) operating nine state-funded schools across south-east London: five primary schools (Crayford Primary, Hatcham Free School, Hatcham Primary, Knights Primary, Slade Green Primary) and four secondary schools with sixth form provision (Borough Academy, Crayford Academy, Hatcham College, Knights Academy). Established in 2006 and celebrating 20 years in July 2026, the Trust educates approximately 6,000 pupils and employs more than 600 staff, with Hatcham College itself tracing heritage back 150 years. The Trust is sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, a livery company with over 350 years of educational philanthropy, and is also supported by Temple Grove Schools Trust.

The Trust's product surface extends well beyond school operations. It runs the Haberdashers' Advantage enrichment programme (covering music, sport, mentoring, literacy, youth leadership, and social action), the Habs Institute for Professional Learning (delivering National Professional Qualifications, facilitator training, and staff development), a School-Direct teacher training programme, and a School Improvement Partnerships service that provides consultancy to external schools. Core technology is described as education management systems and digital platforms for school administration; no proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or patents are disclosed in the available data.

The Trust is a non-profit, with revenue mechanics dominated by government funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for per-pupil allocations, supplemented by charitable grants and donations from the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers (£900,000 distributed across 241 grants in the most recent year, with over 150 going directly to Trust schools and pupils) and modest fee income from School Improvement Partnerships consultancy services. Customer segments are pupils aged 3–18, their families, and—on the partner side—other schools and education professionals seeking employment or development pathways.

Name

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South

Legal name

Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust

Website

https://www.habstrustsouth.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South is a charitable multi-academy trust operating nine state-funded primary and secondary schools in south-east London, educating 6,000+ pupils with 600+ staff and sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary and Secondary Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

International/Global Curriculum Schools (IB, Cambridge, etc.) (EDAJABAG)

Keywords

• Primary education services
• Secondary education
• Multi-academy trust
• Teacher training
• School improvement partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core funding from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for running academies and schools within the trust
2. Charitable Grants and Donations: The Haberdashers' Company and Haberdashers' Foundation provide grants, enrichment funding, scholarships for university, and project funding. The Company distributed 241 grants totalling almost £900,000 in the last year alone.
3. Professional Services: School Improvement Partnerships providing improvement support to other schools

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South operates a network of 5 primary and 4 secondary state-funded schools in London, providing full-time education to over 6,000 pupils and employing more than 600 staff. Beyond core schooling, the trust runs a teacher training programme and a school improvement partnership service that supports other schools and trusts, with enrichment delivered through the proprietary Haberdashers' Advantage framework.

Product overview

Haberdashers' Academies Trust South is a multi-academy trust operating nine primary and secondary schools across south-east London. The Trust provides a unified educational offering centred on its schools network (five primary schools and four secondary schools including sixth forms), supplemented by the Habs Institute for Professional Learning for staff development, and The Haberdashers' Advantage - a comprehensive enrichment programme covering music, sport, mentorship, literacy, and youth leadership. The Trust's schools include Haberdashers' Crayford Primary, Hatcham Free School, Hatcham Primary, Knights Primary, Slade Green Primary, Borough Academy, Crayford Academy, Hatcham College, and Knights Academy. Additional programmes include teacher training (School-Direct), professional learning (NPQs), Habs Aspire mentoring, Habs Changemakers social action, Livery Academy Awards enterprise competition, and School Improvement Partnerships for external schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary school education (5 schools) Full-time primary education for children aged 4-11, delivered across 5 primary schools in London through the state-funded admissions process. Designed for pupils and families seeking local, publicly-funded primary schooling.
• Secondary school education (4 schools) Full-time secondary education for pupils aged 11-18, delivered across 4 secondary schools in London and culminating in GCSE and A-Level qualifications. Designed for pupils and families seeking local, publicly-funded secondary schooling.
• Teacher training programme Initial teacher training and professional development programme for trainees and educators, often delivered in partnership with university-led or school-centred training routes. Designed for graduates and career-changers entering the teaching profession.
• School improvement partnerships Paid school improvement service delivering leadership development, curriculum support, and improvement expertise to other schools and academy trusts. Designed for headteachers, CEOs, and boards of other schools seeking external improvement support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25% of all grades were A*-A at Hatcham College
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TateminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Art and Design students at Haberdashers' Borough Academy collaborated with the Tate and artist Hetain Patel on an original artist film project
• The Worshipful Company of HaberdasherscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Trust's chief benefactors and sponsors. The Company provides enrichment activities, subsidised travel, specialist teaching in music and sport, scholarships for university, and generous funding across all schools. Over 12,000 children and young people in the Haberdashers' family of 15 schools. The Company distributed 241 grants totalling almost £900,000 in the last year alone.
• Temple Grove Schools TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA charitable trust dedicated to raising standards for primary education, founded 50 years ago from one of the country's oldest prep schools. Provides bursaries enabling children to access music lessons, professional coaches, and multiple trips.
• Challenge PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership organisation supporting school improvement through collaborative networks
• Youth Sport TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting sport and physical activity across Trust schools, including Girls Active programme launched in 2025
• The Brilliant ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity working with schools to increase the number of pupils from underrepresented backgrounds progressing to highly selective universities
• Goldsmiths, University of LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Youth Conference venue, providing collaboration opportunities for Trust students
• NFLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for NFL Flag Football tournaments hosted at Trust schools, including regional rounds of the national tournament
• Envision UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Dragons' Den programme supporting primary pupils in social action and entrepreneurship
• Naz Legacy FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation supporting Black History Month activities and educational initiatives
• Alleyn's SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Girls Active programme at Youth Sport Trust launch event

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Future Academies: Multi-academy trust operating schools in London with values-led mission and focus on academic rigour and enrichment for state-funded pupils. Direct peer in operating model and London catchment.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large multi-academy trust operating schools across England with a community-hub model, comparable in operating multiple schools under unified governance and offering enrichment wraparound services.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK multi-academy trusts operating primary and secondary academies across London with comparable state-funded academy model, enrichment programmes, and central Trust governance structure.
• United Learning: National multi-academy trust operating both state and independent schools with comparable Trust structure, heritage-style branding, enrichment programmes, and central school improvement capability.
• Delta Academies Trust: Large multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools with comparable school improvement, central Trust services, and state-funded academy operating model.
• Academies Enterprise Trust: One of England's largest multi-academy trusts operating primary and secondary academies at scale, comparable in operating model and central school improvement function.
• Ark Schools: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary academies across the UK with comparable enrichment programmes, central professional development infrastructure, and values-led mission to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• Reach Academy Trust: London-based multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools of broadly similar scale to Haberdashers' Academies Trust South, with comparable enrichment and character education focus. Direct peer in operating model and South London catchment.
• Greenshaw Learning Trust: South London-based multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools with similar central Trust governance, school improvement focus, and enrichment wraparound provision.

Others

• The Brilliant Club: Charity partner of Haberdashers' Academies Trust South that works with schools to increase university access for underrepresented pupils. Listed as OTHERS because it is an ecosystem partner rather than a competing school operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HaberdashersAcademiesTrustSouth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/haberdashers-academies-trust-south

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 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 Haberdashers' Academies Trust South