corpus christi catholic academy trust

What corpus christi catholic academy trust does

Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust is a charitable multi-academy trust (MAT) registered as a company limited by guarantee in England and Wales, operating a network of 17 Catholic schools across the Greater Manchester local authority areas of Manchester, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford. The Trust was formed in April 2013 as the Wythenshawe Catholic Academy Trust from three founding schools and was renamed in 2018 to reflect its broader diocesan ambitions; it operates under the oversight of the Diocese of Shrewsbury, with the Bishop serving as a Member. Its core product is the delivery of Catholic primary and secondary education through its member schools, supported by a centralised Trust Central Team providing finance, HR, IT, safeguarding and school-improvement functions, and by a SharePoint-based internal hub (CCCAT Hub) for staff operations.

The Trust monetises its central services via a top-slice of approximately 3% of General Annual Grant (GAG) income from member schools, with additional revenue from paid School-to-School Support services offered to external schools at rates aligned with the Greater Manchester Learning Partnership (CEO £650/day through to Teacher £275/day). It has delivered cashable savings exceeding £250,000 over five years through centralised procurement and is approaching the 3,000-pupil threshold at which it becomes eligible for direct School Condition Allocation funding. Technology is operational rather than transformational: SIMS Finance for accounting, Lloyds Commercial Banking for treasury, SharePoint for internal collaboration, and a mix of third-party IT providers (Computeam, Simply ICT Solutions, Stockport AVA, Intelatech) supporting individual schools.

Customer concentration is structurally high in the sense that the underlying funder is effectively HM Government via the ESFA, and member schools are wholly-owned operating subsidiaries rather than independent customers. Expansion is mission-driven and incremental: the Trust has broadened geographically into Tameside and Trafford in 2024–2025, commercialised system leadership externally, and positioned itself as a sponsor for schools requiring improvement. There is no external equity ownership, no funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue figures; the Trust is privately held in the charitable sense with ultimate control resting with Diocesan Members.

Name

corpus christi catholic academy trust

Legal name

Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust

Website

https://corpuschristitrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust is a charitable multi-academy trust operating 17 Catholic primary and secondary schools across Manchester, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford under the Diocese of Shrewsbury, funded primarily by government GAG grants and a 3% top-slice from member schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Catholic Primary and Secondary Education (K-12)

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Catholic primary education
• Catholic secondary education
• Multi-academy trust
• School improvement services
• Centralized school services

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

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 (GAG): As an Academy Trust, the organization receives government funding through the General Annual Grant (GAG). Schools pay a 'top slice' of approximately 3% of GAG income to fund the Trust Central Team, which is typically less than amounts retained by local authorities for maintained schools.
2. School-to-School Support Services: The Trust generates revenue by providing paid school-to-school support services to external schools, with system leadership rates aligned to Greater Manchester Learning Partnership recommendations (CEO: £650/day, Deputy CEO: £600/day, Headteacher: £500/day, Senior Leader: £450/day, etc.).
3. School Condition Allocation: Once pupil numbers exceed 3000, the Trust becomes eligible to receive School Condition Allocation funding for building maintenance, rather than individual schools applying separately for LCVAP or CIF funding.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust operates a fellowship of 17 Catholic primary and secondary schools across Manchester, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford within the Diocese of Shrewsbury, delivering Catholic education to pupils aged 4-18. The trust provides centralized back-office services (HR, finance, IT, safeguarding) to member schools funded via an approximately 3% top-slice of GAG income, and generates additional revenue through paid School-to-School Support services offered to external schools at standardized system leadership daily rates.

Product overview

Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust is a multi-academy trust operating as a fellowship of Catholic schools across Manchester, Stockport, Trafford, and Tameside within the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The trust offers a portfolio of educational services centered on its network of Catholic schools (from primary to secondary), supported by centralized Trust Central Services providing finance, HR, IT, and safeguarding functions. Additional offerings include School-to-School Support (system leadership services) and School Improvement Services for schools requiring additional support. The trust operates with approximately 3% top-slice from GAG income and has achieved cashable savings of over £250,000 through centralized procurement over a five-year period.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Catholic Schools Network A fellowship of 17 Catholic schools providing Catholic primary and secondary education to pupils across Manchester, Stockport, Trafford, and Tameside within the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
• Trust Central Services Centralized back-office support functions including finance, HR, IT, and safeguarding services provided to all trust schools, enabling schools to focus on educational delivery. Funded by approximately 3% top-slice from member school GAG income.
• School-to-School Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Cashable savings of over £250,000 achieved through centralizing procurement over five years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diocese of ShrewsburycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013The trust operates within the Diocese of Shrewsbury as a Catholic Academy Trust. Bishop Mark Davies serves as a member of the trust, and the trust operates under Diocesan oversight for Catholic education. Richard Woods serves as Acting Director of Schools for the Diocese.
• Canon David RobertscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpiscopal Vicar for Education in the Diocese of Shrewsbury since 2012, providing Diocesan oversight of Catholic education including academy trusts.
• Canon Michael GannoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPriest of the Diocese of Shrewsbury serving in governance capacity.
• Carol LawrencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinance Secretary for the Diocese of Shrewsbury serving as a member of the trust.
• Greater Manchester Learning PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSystem leadership rates for school-to-school support are aligned with recommendations by the Greater Manchester Learning Partnership.
• Michelle Flanagan (HMSHost International)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelle Flanagan, Managing Director of UK business at HMSHost International, serves as Vice Chair of Directors. HMSHost International is a major employer across the Manchester Airport Group.
• Department for EducationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe trust utilizes the DfE's Teaching Vacancies service to advertise job vacancies to potential candidates.
• Manchester Airport Group (MAG)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichelle Flanagan originally started working with the trust as part of MAG's volunteering programme in 2012. HMSHost International is a major employer across the MAG group.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Painsley Catholic Academy Trust: Large Catholic multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across Staffordshire. Directly comparable to Corpus Christi as a Diocesan Catholic MAT running 20+ schools with centralized back-office services and school-to-school support.
• Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust in the North East of England formed under Diocesan oversight, operating a network of Catholic primary and secondary schools. Comparable in mission, governance structure and school-improvement focus.
• The Romero Catholic Academy Trust: Catholic multi-academy trust in the West Midlands serving a portfolio of Catholic primary and secondary schools under Diocesan governance. Comparable as a Catholic MAT providing centralized services and school improvement support.
• Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust: Catholic MAT operating a portfolio of Catholic primary and secondary schools. Directly comparable as a faith-based multi-academy trust delivering centralized back-office support and school-to-school improvement services.

Broad incumbents

• United Learning: One of the largest multi-academy trusts in England, operating both faith-based and non-faith schools with comprehensive central services. Comparable as a broader incumbent that overlaps with the Trust's centralized back-office and school improvement model, albeit at materially greater scale.
• Harris Federation: Large multi-academy trust primarily operating primary and secondary schools across London and the South East. Comparable as a large incumbent MAT providing centralized services and school improvement, competing for academy conversions.
• Oasis Community Learning: National multi-academy trust running a large portfolio of academies across England with a hub model for centralized services. Comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for school conversions and operates centralized support functions.
• Outwood Grange Academies Trust: Large multi-academy trust operating dozens of secondary and primary schools across the North of England with a strong school improvement brand. Comparable as a broader incumbent competing for academy conversions and offering system leadership.
• Greenwood Academies Trust: Multi-academy trust operating primary and secondary schools across the Midlands. Comparable as a broader incumbent MAT providing centralized services and competing for academy sponsorship opportunities.

Others

• Diocese of Shrewsbury Education Service: Diocesan education body overseeing Catholic schools within the Diocese of Shrewsbury, including oversight of academy trusts such as Corpus Christi. Adjacent governance counterpart whose strategic direction materially shapes Corpus Christi's pipeline and operating context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-corpus-christi-catholic-academy-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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