Education IQ
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Multi-academy trust

Athena Learning Trust

Dunheved House, Dunheved Road, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 9FB Cornwall & Devon · South Westathenalearningtrust.uk
Schools
9
Pupils
6,702
Phases
6 secondary · 3 primary
Reserves
£4.4m (£660/pupil)
Latest year
+£0.6m
Why Athena

Major organisational change underway

Athena has announced plans to dissolve and transfer its nine schools to other trusts following sustained scrutiny of its behaviour policies. The announcement follows the departure of its CEO, significant parent campaigning and national media attention.

1–1 of 10 opportunities
#1Very High

Trust-wide solutions

Nine-school MAT with central approval of larger expenditure creates an opportunity to sell once and deploy across multiple schools.

Central approval · 9 schools Open pitch
#2Very High

Curriculum implementation & consistency

Strong curriculum intent, but consistent implementation appears repeatedly in Ofsted priorities across schools.

Priority in 8 of 9 inspections Open pitch
#3High

Assessment & diagnostic tools

Assessment, checking understanding and identifying gaps recur across inspection findings.

Priority in 5 of 9 inspections Open pitch
#4High

SEND provision & support

Relatively significant SEND complexity across several schools creates potential demand for SEND resources, interventions, training and specialist support.

SEND up to 7.8 / 10 Open pitch
#5High

Disadvantaged pupil support

Several secondary schools serve comparatively disadvantaged cohorts, increasing relevance of intervention, engagement and attainment solutions.

Pupil Premium up to 33% Open pitch
#6High

Teacher CPD & implementation support

The gap between curriculum ambition and consistent classroom implementation suggests potential for CPD and implementation support.

Consistency named in 8 of 9 Open pitch
#7High

Intervention & attainment

Performance challenges and Ofsted priorities suggest opportunities around closing gaps, securing learning and improving outcomes.

Outcomes flagged in 3 of 9 Open pitch
#8High

Financially-backed strategic investment

£4.4m revenue reserves and a £631k latest in-year surplus indicate Trust-level resilience and capacity for appropriately prioritised investment.

£4.4m reserves · +£0.6m Open pitch
#9Medium

Personal development / enrichment

Personal development is already a recurring strength, suggesting an established strategic interest rather than a remedial need.

Strength in 4 of 9 inspections Open pitch
#10Medium

Primary-specific solutions

Three small primaries, including two with latest in-year deficits, suggest solutions need to demonstrate affordability, efficiency and Trust-level scalability.

3 primaries · 2 precarious Open pitch
In the data
  • Critical news, Jul 2026: "Councillors react to Athena Trust dissolution" (Cornish Times).
  • The Ilfracombe Academy is the most complex school in the trust (6.6/10) — driven by Student disadvantage 8.1 and SEND complexity 7.8.
  • 2 schools rated financially precarious (Egloskerry Primary School, Launceston Primary School) — against £4.4m of trust reserves and a +£0.6m latest year.
  • "Curriculum implementation / consistency" is an inspection priority in 8 of 9 schools — the trust's strongest recurring theme.
  • 3 schools joined in the last three years (Camborne Science and International Academy, Ilfracombe Academy, Pool Academy) — 52% of the trust's pupils.
  • SEN share ranges from 0.0% to 8.8% (Atlantic Academy) — trust average 3.6%.

Schools

Where the trust's schools are. Marker area is proportional to roll; shape shows phase. Positions are approximate (postcode district).
9 schools · schematic
LauncestonIlfracombeRedruth
Secondary / all-through Primary Size = pupils on roll

Complexity matrix

Each school scored 0–10 on seven complexity dimensions; darker = more complex / greater pressure. Overall is the mean of the seven. Click a column to sort.
Complexity
SchoolSEND Disadv. Lang. Finance Workforce Academic Demand Overall
The Ilfracombe Academy S
7.8
8.1
3.2
5.8
7.0
7.2
6.8
6.6
Bideford College S
7.6
8.0
3.5
6.2
6.7
6.8
7.0
6.5
Pool Academy S
7.5
7.7
3.0
6.1
6.6
6.6
6.1
6.2
Atlantic Academy S
7.1
7.5
3.1
6.0
6.4
6.7
5.9
6.1
Camborne Science and International Academy S
2.0
7.8
3.6
6.3
6.2
6.0
7.5
5.6
Launceston College S
6.7
5.8
2.5
6.6
5.7
5.5
6.2
5.6
Egloskerry Primary School P
6.2
5.1
2.0
6.8
6.1
4.2
4.4
5.0
Launceston Primary School P
2.0
5.3
2.3
6.9
5.8
4.5
6.5
4.8
Altarnun Primary School P
1.0
5.6
1.8
6.7
6.5
4.8
3.6
4.3
Hover a cell to read it · P primary · S secondary · A all-through010

Key staff

  • BP
    Ben Parnell
    CEO

    Leads Athena Learning Trust. Previously Director of Education, Regional Director and Executive Principal, with a focus on school improvement, behaviour, teaching, SEND, governance and financial sustainability.

  • MB
    Mark Blackman
    Interim Trust Leader

    Part of the central executive leadership alongside the CEO, Director of Education and CFOO.

  • JK
    Joe Kirby
    Director of Education

    Co-founder; co-leads the nine schools. Remit is educational strategy and the school-improvement side of the trust.

  • SS
    Shirley Si Ahmed
    Chief Finance & Operations Officer

    Leads finance and operations; Accounting Officer from May 2026 (Jacqueline Duthie recorded as CFO from that date).

  • GF
    Georgina Fahey
    Head of Governance & Compliance

    Restructured local governance and developed the trustee committee structure. Former primary leader, qualified SENCO.

  • HF
    Hannah Frame
    Director of People

    Senior people/HR leader and named lead for safer recruitment.

Latest news

Financial resilience

HighResilience
£4.4mReserves£660 per pupil
+£0.6mLatest year
Stable / positiveDirection

Schools in the trust

  • Camborne Science and International Academy
    Cranberry Road, Camborne TR14 7PP · Secondary 11–18Joined Jan 2024 · 2 yrs 7 mo in trust
    1,825
  • Bideford College
    Abbotsham Road, Bideford EX39 3AR · Secondary 11–18Joined Mar 2016 · 10 yrs 5 mo in trust
    1,430
  • Launceston College
    Hurdon Road, Launceston PL15 9JR · Secondary 11–18Joined Jan 2013 · 13 yrs 7 mo in trust
    1,337
  • The Ilfracombe Academy
    Worth Road, Ilfracombe EX34 9JB · Secondary 11–18Joined Nov 2023 · 2 yrs 9 mo in trust
    1,097
  • Pool Academy
    Church Road, Redruth TR15 3PZ · Secondary 11–16Joined Sept 2023 · 2 yrs 11 mo in trust
    562
  • Atlantic Academy
    Bucks Cross, Bideford EX39 5DW · Secondary 11–16Joined Oct 2018 · 7 yrs 10 mo in trust
    262
  • Egloskerry Primary School
    Egloskerry, Launceston PL15 8RT · Primary 4–11Joined Sept 2017 · 8 yrs 11 mo in trust
    99
  • Altarnun Primary School
    Five Lanes, Launceston PL15 7RZ · Primary 5–11Joined Apr 2019 · 7 yrs 4 mo in trust
    52
  • Launceston Primary School
    Dunheved Road, Launceston PL15 9DQ · Primary 4–11Joined Jan 2013 · 13 yrs 7 mo in trust
    38