Scaling More Than Locations: How Sam Pomeroy Grew Four PQA Academies Without Losing the Culture
Scaling a class business is not simply about opening another venue, increasing capacity or adding more names to the register. The real challenge is making sure the experience still feels consistent, personal and purposeful when the founder cannot be in every room.
For Sam Pomeroy, principal of PQA Plymouth, PQA Truro and PQA Penryn and Falmouth, growth has always been closely tied to culture.
In five years, Sam has grown from one academy with around 40 students to four academies supporting approximately 260 to 270 young people every week. He now leads a team of around 20 people across Devon and Cornwall, while keeping a clear focus on belonging, creative opportunity and the way students feel when they walk through the door.
From Education Leadership to PQA
Before taking on PQA Plymouth, Sam worked as a freelance director across musicals, pantomimes and plays. He also built a career in further education, progressing from lecturer to head of degree provision and later head of creative curriculum across 12 subject areas.
PQA was not part of his original plan.
Sam already had a full-time role and had worked with other stage schools, so when the opportunity first appeared, he was not convinced. That changed after visiting PQA head office and seeing the care and passion behind the organisation.
“I said to my wife, we would be stupid not to get involved in this.”
For almost three years, Sam ran PQA alongside his education career. Eventually, the academy became a route into a different kind of leadership, one where he could shape the entire environment rather than influence only one part of a much larger institution.
“I set the culture. What I want it to be and how I want our young people to feel when they walk into the space, we dictate that.”
Growing From 40 Students to Four Academies
When Sam took over PQA Plymouth, the academy had around 40 students and the culture was not quite where he wanted it to be.
He made changes quickly, clarified expectations and focused on the experience students and families received. Within around three months, the academy was close to capacity.
That growth led to:
- A second academy in Plymouth
- A new academy in Truro
- A Friday academy in Penryn and Falmouth
- A wider team of managers, teachers and cover staff
The Friday model opened the door for young people who already had football, rugby, netball, swimming or other commitments at the weekend. It was a practical decision, but it also reflected Sam’s wider approach: growth should create more ways for young people to take part.
Raising Aspirations in Devon and Cornwall
Sam grew up in the region, so the local mission is personal.
Young people in Devon and Cornwall can sometimes feel that creative careers belong elsewhere, particularly in London or Manchester. Sam wants the students he works with to understand that theatre, film, teaching and creative business opportunities also exist closer to home.
There is a strong film and performance community across the South West, but children may not always see those routes as realistic.
His message to parents is simple:
“Don’t crush their dreams.”
Sam believes young people should be allowed to pursue what they love before being told to choose something more sensible. They may fail, as everyone does at different points, but they may also build a career, community or life around the thing that excites them most.
Keeping Quality Consistent Across Four Locations
Managing four academies means Sam cannot personally lead every session. Instead, he relies on trusted managers at each location, often people he has worked with previously and whose values align with his own.
For Sam, recruitment begins with more than technical ability.
He looks for people who:
- Care about the impact they have on young people
- Share the same values around inclusion and respect
- Understand the importance of creating a safe space
- Take pride in the quality of their delivery
- Can be trusted to lead when he is not present
Sam visits each academy at least once every two weeks and uses frequent, short training moments to keep standards clear.
Rather than saving everything for occasional training days, he uses the briefing before a session to focus the team on one area of practice. It might be something specific he wants to see in the teaching that day or a reminder of the wider culture they are responsible for creating.
PQA’s structured learning approach also helps. Sam knows what projects and content should be delivered across each academy, giving managers ownership while maintaining a clear overview of the creative work.
Success Beyond the Numbers
Sam is a finalist for Scaling Business of the Year, but he is careful not to measure success only through student numbers or additional locations.
“Success for me looks like people being happy, walking through the door and feeling that sense of belonging and feeling seen.”
The four academies currently support around 270 young people, but Sam believes the impact travels further. Students take the confidence, respect and sense of community they experience into their homes, schools and friendships.
That wider effect is why continued growth matters.
A larger business can reach more students, employ more creative professionals and help more young people see the arts as something they are allowed to belong to.
Watch the Full Interview
Sam Pomeroy’s story shows that scaling successfully is not only about replicating the timetable. It is about making the values clear enough for other people to protect and deliver them.
By recruiting trusted managers, remaining visible across each location and reinforcing expectations through regular training, Sam has grown four academies without losing the local, personal culture behind them.
Sam Pomeroy is a finalist for Scaling Business of the Year in The Class Business Awards 2026.
👉 Watch Sam’s full interview here.
Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, followed by The Class Business Awards & Afterparty.
