2025 consultation to establish the Hills Education Trust
Hills Education Trust consultation – a trust created for the purpose of delivering high quality progression pathways at 16 and 18
About us
Hills Education Trust
A new Multi Academy Trust
Following a successful period of consultation, on 1 September 2025 Hills Road Sixth Form College opened a new Multi Academy Trust (MAT), known as Hills Education Trust.
Hills Road Sixth Form College is, at this stage, a sole 16-to-19 Academy within the Hills Education Trust,
The trust has been created for the purpose of delivering high quality progression pathways at 16 and 18, for the young people of Cambridgeshire and the surrounding area.
About Hills Road Sixth Form College
Hills Road Sixth Form College has almost 3,000 16-19 students, studying a programme from a selection of 36 A level subjects as well as the Future Ready Programme, consisting of the Extended Project Qualification, Year 12 Enrichment and Tutorials. The College is oversubscribed every year, having developed a national reputation for excellence.
The college has topped government performance league tables in almost every year since their inception over 30 years ago. It has achieved Outstanding status in every Ofsted category and framework so far.
To remain a potential 16-19 progression route for all students equally, the College is can now retain its independence as a separate Multi Academy Trust (MAT). This allows us to maintain our commitment to welcoming students from every Trust and background to provide an academic 16-19 option for students from all local schools.
Our vision
With increased numbers of young people set to move through the 16-19 phase of education in the next five years – even before accounting for the government’s plan for growth for Cambridge – we are delighted that Hills Education Trust is well placed to be part of the solution for providing increased 16-19 places in the future.
In creating an academy trust, we can operate Hills Road Sixth Form College in addition to new potential provision opportunities or partnerships in the region as they arise.
Who benefits
In creating Hills Education Trust, Hills Road Sixth Form College has been able to join our partner schools in the academies sector.
The trust offers exciting opportunities to further develop our partnership with local education sectors for the wider benefit of young people across multiple phases of education.
Current and future students and parents
With ambitious growth and infrastructure projections for Cambridge as part of the economic investment in the Oxford / Cambridge arc, there will be many more 16-year-olds in the future.
Hills Education Trust is part of the solution to meet that growth need. By creating a Multi Academy Trust focusing on academic progression pathways to 18, we are well placed to respond to future need.
Hills Road staff
By positioning ourselves to grow as an academy trust as opportunities arise to operate 16-19 new provision, staff can benefit from a greater number of career progression opportunities.
Our wider community
Hills Road Sixth Form College will increase its financial resilience as an organisation, given the ability it will afford us to reclaim VAT worth almost £250,000 a year, and we should be better placed to continue to deliver an outstanding educational experience for the area’s future potential workforce.
Additional information
The chosen name of Hills Education Trust is to signal that we are focused on retaining our educational experience and ethos as Hills Road, very much remaining who we are and retaining what we do best.
From the local Area Review and dialogue since, we know that local schools, their students and parents are keen that we remain independent from any one school or academy trust.
By maintaining our independence from any one 11-16 school, or group of schools, we can ensure that all Cambridgeshire students applying for post-16 progression receive equal consideration.
