Carlton Academy Trust is a Bradford-based Trust established in 2019, inspired by the remarkable transformation of its founding school, Carlton Bolling. Once known for its tough reputation and labelled ‘The Most Broken School in the Country’, the school was placed in Special Measures in 2014. Remarkably, by by 2017, the school had achieved an ‘Outstanding’ OFSTED rating, earned the World Class Schools Quality Mark in 2018, and was named ‘Secondary School of the Year’ at the 2019 Pearson National Teaching Awards.

Driven by this success, the Trust was formed to support more schools and share the expertise developed through this journey. Today, we support nine schools – three secondary, three primary and three special – with nearly 5,000 students and over 980 staff. In 2022, we became one of the first to be recognised as a ‘World Class Trust’ by the World Class Schools Quality Mark.

Our mission, Excellence For All, reflects our commitment to the highest standards. With a sustainable growth plan of around 15 schools, we ensure focused support that helps every school thrive – aiming for each one to achieve ‘Outstanding’.