The Essa Foundation Academies Trust is a charitable company established to set up and run academies and free schools in Bolto ... n and further afield and provide recreational and leisure facilities in the interest of social welfare. The Trust is funded and regulated by the Department of Education. Academies and free schools are independent state funded schools. The Trust's sponsor is the Essa Foundation Trust, which is an educational charity set up by the philanthropic Patel family, owners of a leading pharmacy chain in the North West of England, to encourage research, development and the introduction of best practice across schools and curriculums. The Essa Foundation Academies Trust has been a multi-academy trust since 2014: It was originally a single academy trust - the Essa Academy Trust from 2008-2014. There are currently two academies in the Trust - Essa Academy, an 11-16 school which opened in January 2009 and Essa Primary Academy, a free school for primary aged children which opened in September 2014. read more