Astrea Academy Trust is proud to announce that it has won two awards in the Network for Education Excellence (nEdEx) Awards 2026.
Astrea, which oversees four secondary schools in Cambridgeshire, was named Large Trust of the Year and Most Improved Trust of the Year 2026 at the nEdEx national awards ceremony in Milton Keynes.
The multi-academy trust, which manages 26 primary and secondary schools, as well as a specialist school in South Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire, impressed the judges with its strong culture and ethos, promising broad opportunities for all its students.
The nEdEx awards recognise that all of Astrea’s schools are now rated Good by Ofsted and that academic achievement has been turned around, with student outcomes at GCSE rising from 60.9% of pupils achieving Grades 9 to 4 in English and Maths in 2024, to 65.6% last year.
Judges also saw that pupils in the trust’s primary schools are achieving at the expected national level or above in phonics tests.
Astrea, which celebrated its 10th anniversary last month, was very pleased to scoop two awards, reflecting its determination to improve outcomes for children and young people, as well as its performance as an organisation.
nEdEx is a national network supporting senior leaders in schools, trusts and local authorities. Alongside education awards, nEdEx runs conferences, networking events and leadership forums across the education sector.
Rowena Hackwood, CEO of Astrea Academy Trust, said: “It is a great honour to be recognised as both Trust of the Year and Most Improved Trust of the Year in these national awards.
“This success reflects the dedication, passion and hard work of our colleagues across every Astrea academy and their relentless commitment to providing a brilliant and inclusive education for every young person.
“I would like to thank all our staff, as well as our students and their families for their continued support and commitment to excellence at Astrea.”
