Star Academies
UK multi-academy trust
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Star Academies is a multi-academy trust (MAT) that operates 36 free schools and academies.[2] There are nineteen secondary schools and nine primary schools under the jurisdiction of the trust.[2]
| |
| Founder | Sir (Mufti) Hameed Patel |
|---|---|
| Type | Academy Trust |
| Registration no. | 07353849 |
| Focus | Education |
| Headquarters | Shadsworth Rd, Blackburn BB1 2HT |
| Location | |
Region served | United Kingdom, primarily England |
| Services | 4-18 education |
Key people | Sir (Mufti) Hamid Patel, CEO[1] |
| Website | staracademies |
Formerly called | Tauheedul Education Trust |
As a multi-academy trust, Star Academies is an exempt charity regulated by the Department for Education.[3] 21 of the schools under Star Academy have Muslim religious character, 10 of which have been rated Outstanding by Ofsted, with the other 5 still waiting to be graded.[4]
The trust's change of name from Tauheedul Education Trust followed its change of focus; it had originally only been responsible for Islamic schools, but expanded to secular and Christian schools.[5][6] In 2022, the school was planning to open three additional free schools in the north of England in partnership with Eton College.[7] After a pause to review the proposals,[8] in 2025 it was announced that two of the schools would be approved whilst the proposed college in Middlesbrough would be cancelled.[9][10]
Controversies
In February 2019, specific concerns about the performance of Highfield Leadership Academy led the DfE to issue a "minded to terminate" letter to the trust, suggesting that they might remove the trust's funding for this school.[11][12]
However in September 2019, Ofsted stated that the academy had much improved. In February 2020, Ofsted wrote:
Since the last monitoring inspection, more pupils are benefiting from high-quality teaching. Many teachers present subject matter in a way that helps pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding." Although, Ofsted have still identified areas for improvement, the academy stands today as a good school, albeit a strict one.[13]
In 2025, members of the National Education Union at The Valley Leadership Academy voted in favour of striking over Star Academies' introduction of a virtual maths teacher,[14] eventually taking part in two days of strike action in December 2025.[15] The virtual teacher, based 300 miles away in Devon, was a part of a pilot scheme by the trust that aimed to overcome difficulties finding subject-specific teachers.[16] In response to the backlash, Star Academies stated that they did not intend for the scheme's rollout, which currently includes three virtual teachers across its schools,[17] to be widespread.[18]
Secondary schools
- Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School, Waterfoot
- Bay Leadership Academy, Heysham
- Highfield Leadership Academy, Blackpool
- Laisterdyke Leadership Academy, Bradford
- Oulder Hill Leadership Academy, Rochdale
- Small Heath Leadership Academy, Small Heath
- Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East, Saltley
- Starbank School, Birmingham
- Tauheedul Islam Boys' High School, Blackburn
- Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School, Blackburn
- The Valley Leadership Academy, Stacksteads
- Tong Leadership Academy, Bradford