the diocese of canterbury academies trust

What the diocese of canterbury academies trust does

Aquila, trading as The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, is a non-profit Church of England multi-academy trust operating 17 primary schools across east and central Kent, England. Founded in 2014 with Archbishop Courtenay Primary School as its founding institution, the trust has grown to serve more than 4,000 pupils aged 2-11 (including early-years nursery provision) and employs between 501 and 1,000 staff. The trust is registered as a UK company (No 09035788), headquartered in Folkestone, Kent, and operates under a Christian ethos framework aligned with the Diocese of Canterbury, including SIAMS inspections.

The trust's core product is the direct operation of government-funded academies that deliver free primary education. Beyond school operation, Aquila has built a portfolio of educational support services including Educational Psychology, English Hub, Behaviour Hub, Subject Leader Networks, Moderation Sessions, Early Career Framework (ECF) delivery, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), Training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD), Governor Training, Initial Teacher Training (ITT), and an annual Conference. These services are delivered both internally to trust schools and externally to the broader education sector. Aquila's primary strategic partnership is with Canterbury Christ Church University for research-informed classroom practice, and with Thames Gateway Teaching School Hub for ECF delivery.

The trust does not charge tuition fees; funding flows from UK central and local government per-pupil allocations, supplemented by grants and fees for its ancillary services. The trust has no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI capabilities, no patents, and no external funding rounds - operating as a typical UK state-sector academy trust. Annie Wiles has served as Chief Executive since 2015, leading the organisation through its principal expansion phase.

Name

the diocese of canterbury academies trust

Legal name

The Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust

Website

https://aquilatrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Aquila, the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, is a non-profit multi-academy trust operating 17 Church of England primary schools across Kent, England, serving more than 4,000 pupils aged 2-11 with government-funded free education and ancillary teacher-training services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Education Services

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Educational Support Services (611710), Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Preschools (EDACABAF)

Keywords

• Primary education
• Multi-academy trust
• School improvement
• Teacher training
• Church of England schools

Headquarters

HQ city

Folkestone

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aquila, the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust, operates a family of 17 Church of England primary schools across Kent, England, serving more than 4,000 pupils aged 4-11 (with some nursery/early years provision for ages 2-4). The trust supplements its core school operations with a range of educational support services including Educational Psychology, Early Career Framework training, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), Training and CPD, Behaviour Hub, English Hub, Subject Leader Network, Moderation Sessions, and Initial Teacher Training routes.

Product overview

Aquila is a multi-academy trust operating 17 primary schools across Kent, serving more than 4,000 pupils. The organisation functions as an educational services provider rather than a technology product company. Its core offering is the operation of Church of England primary schools, supplemented by educational support services including Educational Psychology Services, Early Career Framework training, National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), Training and CPD programmes, Behaviour Hub, English Hub, Subject Leader Networks, Moderation Sessions, Initial Teacher Training routes, and Conference services. The schools operate across Kent with a shared Christian ethos and work in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University on classroom research and school improvement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aquila Multi-Academy Trust Schools A family of 17 Church of England primary schools across east and central Kent serving more than 4,000 pupils, including All Souls', Archbishop Courtenay, Brenzett, Charing, Charlton, Eastchurch, Guston, Kennington, Kingsnorth, Reculver, Sandwich Infant, St Clement's, St George's, St Laurence in Thanet, St Mary of Charity, St Nicholas, and Temple Ewell. Schools admit pupils through the standard UK government school admissions process and offer free state-funded primary education with a Christian ethos, with some schools providing nursery/early years provision.
• Educational Psychology Services Psychological support services for schools within the trust to support pupil wellbeing and educational outcomes.
• Early Career Framework
• National Professional Qualifications (NPQs)
• Training and CPD
• Behaviour Hub
• English Hub
• Subject Leader Network
• Moderation Sessions
• Initial Teacher Training

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• Canterbury Christ Church UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAquila works closely with Canterbury Christ Church University on classroom research and school improvement initiatives. The partnership ensures the trust is informed by the latest research on what works best in the classroom.
• Thames Gateway Teaching School HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Thames Gateway TSH for Early Career Framework delivery, providing professional development for teachers in the trust.
• Northfleet Nursery SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrenzett Primary School collaborated with Northfleet Nursery School on the development of its new nursery provision, with comprehensive support from Aquila Trust.
• Dover, Deal and Sandwich PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSandwich Infant School is a member of the Dover, Deal and Sandwich Partnership offering training opportunities for future teachers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• REAch2 Academy Trust: One of the largest primary-focused multi-academy trusts in England, operating a comparable network of primary schools serving thousands of pupils. Closely aligned with Aquila in scale, governance model, and pupil-stage focus.
• Greenshaw Learning Trust: A growing multi-academy trust running a comparable portfolio of primary and secondary schools across the South of England, with similar school improvement and central-service offerings.
• Birmingham Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust: Diocese-led Church of England multi-academy trust running a comparable family of faith-based primary schools with central improvement services. Very similar operating model and mission to Aquila.
• Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust: Church of England diocesan MAT operating multiple primary schools in Cambridgeshire with shared ethos, governance, and improvement services — structurally near-identical to Aquila's model.
• Woodard Academies Trust: Faith-based (Anglican) multi-academy trust operating schools across England with shared Christian ethos and central school improvement services. Highly comparable faith-anchored model to Aquila.
• St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi-Academy Trust: Faith-based Catholic multi-academy trust operating primary schools with a values-driven ethos and central improvement services. Analogous to Aquila's Church of England diocesan structure, though Catholic rather than Anglican.

Broad incumbents

• Oasis Community Learning: Large national academy trust originally faith-inspired, operating a much broader all-through portfolio than Aquila. Comparable on values-based education ethos and school improvement orientation, though at significantly greater scale.
• The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT): One of the largest UK MATs by pupil count, operating a broad primary and secondary portfolio. Comparable on multi-academy trust operating model and central-service offering, though much larger and non-faith-based.

Regional players

• Diocese of Southwark Educational Trust: Diocesan Church of England education body operating academy schools in a different English region (South London/Kent borders). Highly comparable in faith-based governance and school improvement mission, but serving a different geographic catchment.

Others

• Canterbury Christ Church University: Aquila's named research and school improvement partner. Comparable as a strategic enabler providing pedagogical and professional development input to the trust's network of schools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AquilaTrustUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/AquilaTrustUK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about the diocese of canterbury academies trust