Welcome to the Learning Academies Trust and thank you for taking a look at our website.

We are an 18-school primary Multi Academy Trust based in the heart of Plymouth. We believe passionately in the power of education to transform our children’s life chances and we have a wonderful team who strive tirelessly towards meeting this goal.

Our 900+ fantastic staff currently educate just under 5500 Plymouth children in our 18 primary schools and 12 nursery settings. More details on each of our individual schools can be found via the school links on our website.

Back in late 2016, the LAT grew out of an original ’outstanding’ school, working alongside and supporting a neighbouring primary and that school to school collaborative culture continues to underpin everything we do to this day. Between 2016 and 2023 the LAT grew organically, starting with 3 schools, then doubling to 6 schools, then on to 8 and 9 schools. In 2023 we doubled in size again, to bring us up the 18 school MAT it is today. It’s hard to find a LAT staffroom now that doesn’t have a least one member of staff who has previously worked in another LAT school or across the whole MAT. Genuine collaborative working and resource sharing is absolutely central to the LAT.

At the heart of our vision is a deep commitment to school improvement. Over the years, nearly 40% of our 18 schools have faced challenges, with seven at one time or another judged less than good. But we’ve never wavered in our ambition: to ensure every child across our Trust receives the highest quality education possible. We’re proud to share that, as of early 2025, every one of our Ofsted-inspected schools is now rated either Good or Outstanding. This milestone marks a significant step forward in our journey—and a testament to the dedication of our staff, students, and communities.)

Our drive for improvement is constantly evidenced through our strong collaborative practice and firm relationships across our schools and this has not just resulted in positive Ofsted grades, but also high academic outcomes. We consistently outperform national scores on year 1, year 4 and year 6 tests, generally with better than national data for our disadvantaged children.

We are also delighted that Plymouth Teachers and Schools Alliance (PTSA) is a formal part of the Learning Academies Trust, continuing its legacy of excellence in professional development and school improvement. PTSA plays a pivotal role in enhancing educational outcomes across our trust and the wider Plymouth area.

PTSA delivers a comprehensive School-Based Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programme, alongside tailored Teaching Assistant and Early Years Apprenticeship pathways. It also provides high-quality Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for teachers and support staff. In addition, PTSA supports school improvement across LAT schools and beyond through its experienced and high-quality school improvement team, working collaboratively to raise standards and ensure every child receives the very best education.

With a strong commitment to developing our people, PTSA is a cornerstone of our mission to empower our staff and transform learning across our communities.

I hope you enjoy looking through the pages of this website, but for up to date news on our 18 school’s activities, you can follow me on twitter @learningatceo, or https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-spry-659769172 on LinkedIn, if you’d like to get in touch directly, please email me at simon.spry@learningat.uk.

Simon Spry – NLE and Chief Executive Officer