south farnham educational trust

What south farnham educational trust does

South Farnham Educational Trust (SFET) is a UK-based Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) headquartered in Farnham, Surrey, overseeing 13 member schools delivering primary and secondary education across Surrey and the wider Southeast, supplemented by a Teaching School Hub and a SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training). The Trust is structured as an independent charitable educational organisation governed by trustees and members, with no parent company, and operates under a Funding Agreement with the Education and Skills Funding Agency. Its stated purpose is to create a group of schools with a shared commitment to the highest possible outcomes for children, sharing professional expertise, training opportunities and facilities while preserving the distinct identity of each member school. Multiple member schools have achieved top-tier rankings: South Farnham School is the 10th best primary school in England and The Raleigh School the 11th, with Brighton Hill Community School named the No.2 most improved community school in England after Progress 8 moved from -0.55 in 2019 to +0.04 in 2023.

The Trust operates a vertically integrated education and training platform spanning teacher training, apprenticeships, professional development, and curriculum. Core offerings include the South Farnham SCITT and Teacher Apprenticeship (launched September 2018), the new Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (launched October 2024), and the Teaching School Hub. Commercial CPD programmes include the Teaching Assistant Development Programme at £150 per participant, the Learning to Lead Leadership Development Programme at £350 per participant, and the forthcoming NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Early Years Educator at £500 per participant (launching April 2026). Curriculum products include Phonics Steps, a DfE-validated systematic synthetic phonics programme. The Trust also acts as an approved End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO), selling EPA services to third-party apprenticeship providers and employers.

Revenue derives primarily from DfE per-pupil grants for the 13 schools, with secondary income streams from apprenticeship funding, SCITT fees, Teaching School Hub contracts, and unit-priced CPD registrations sold direct to external schools and trainees via the Trust website. The Trust distributes programmes through direct school operations in Surrey and the Southeast, with a website- and Twitter-driven marketing channel and direct registration for training programmes. No revenue, funding or headcount figures are disclosed in the source data; financial statements for the years ending 31 August 2024 and 31 August 2025 are referenced but not included.

Name

south farnham educational trust

Legal name

South Farnham Educational Trust

Website

https://sfet.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

South Farnham Educational Trust is a UK Multi-Academy Trust operating 13 primary and secondary schools in Surrey and the Southeast, alongside a Teaching School Hub and SCITT delivering teacher training, apprenticeships, and professional development programmes to schools and trainees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multi-Academy Trust Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Instructional Delivery & Pedagogy (School-Led) (EDAJAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assessment, Observation & Documentation Training (Portfolios, DRDP/CLASS/ECERS) (EDACAIAK), Preschool Programs within Private K–12 Schools (EDACABAM)

Keywords

• Multi-academy trust services
• Teacher training programmes
• Professional development
• School improvement support
• Initial teacher training

Headquarters

HQ city

Farnham

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, Marketing or Sales

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

South Farnham Educational Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust running thirteen schools across Surrey, complemented by a Teaching School Hub and SCITT (School-Centred Initial Teacher Training). The Trust sells teacher training programmes (Teacher Apprenticeship, Teacher Degree Apprenticeship), professional development programmes (Teaching Assistant Development Programme, Learning to Lead Leadership Development Programme, NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Early Years), and curriculum products (Phonics Steps DfE validated phonics programme), plus End Point Assessment services as an approved EPAO.

Product overview

South Farnham Educational Trust operates as a Multi-Academy Trust offering a portfolio of educational programmes and professional development services. The core offerings include teacher training through South Farnham SCITT, Teaching School Hub support services, and apprenticeship programmes (Teacher Apprenticeship and Teacher Degree Apprenticeship). Professional development is delivered through the Teaching Assistant Development Programme, Learning to Lead Leadership Development Programme, and NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for Early Years. Curriculum support includes Phonics Steps (DfE validated SSP programme). The Trust also provides End Point Assessment services as an approved EPAO. These products work together to provide a complete pathway from initial teacher training through leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SFET Teaching School Hub: Provides teaching school support and development services across the trust schools.
• South Farnham SCITT

Products and services

• Teaching Assistant Development Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Brighton Hill Community School improved from -0.55 Progress 8 in 2019 to +0.04 in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: One of the largest UK Multi-Academy Trusts operating dozens of schools nationally, with comparable teacher training and CPD programmes; broadly incumbent to SFET in the same MAT/educational services category.
• Oasis Community Learning: Large national Multi-Academy Trust operating primary and secondary schools across multiple regions; comparable to SFET in operating an integrated MAT with curriculum and community programmes.
• Ark Schools: National MAT running primary and secondary schools with a strong focus on CPD, teacher development, and curriculum design — directly comparable operating model to SFET's MAT-plus-CPD structure.
• Harris Federation: One of the largest UK MATs with primary and secondary schools and an established teacher training arm (Harris Initial Teacher Training); directly comparable in operating model and teacher training scope.

Emerging players

• Teach First: Major UK teacher training provider (postgraduate teacher training and apprenticeship routes) with overlapping scope to SFET's SCITT and Teacher Apprenticeship programmes.
• Ruth Miskin (Read Write Inc): Provider of a DfE-validated systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) programme that competes with SFET's Phonics Steps product in the same national SSP curriculum market.

Direct peers

• Greenshaw Learning Trust: Surrey/South-East England MAT operating a comparable portfolio of primary and secondary schools with shared services and CPD — closely matches SFET in size, geography and integrated MAT structure.
• Reach Academy Trust: Small-to-mid sized UK MAT focused on school improvement and teacher development; comparable peer in operating a multi-school group with shared CPD and improvement model.
• Windsor Academy Trust: Regional MAT with multiple primary schools and CPD/teacher development programmes; comparable in scale and integrated MAT-plus-professional-development model.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating multiple primary and secondary schools with a structured school improvement and CPD model; comparable to SFET's approach to school turnaround and shared services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SFETrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries14 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 south farnham educational trust