Rapidly achieving an all-multi-academy trust (MAT) system – such
as the Government’s previously stated ambition for all schools to
be in a ‘strong’ MAT with at least 10 schools in England by 2030
– is not possible. It would require unprecedented system change,
as just under half (47%) of all mainstream schools in England are
currently academised.
If this remains a priority, the Government should focus on a
slower transition which addresses existing system issues ahead of
rapid system change. This includes ensuring that appropriate
resources and policy solutions (including those covered by the
regulatory review) are in place, alongside building sufficient
MAT capacity.
Findings from a new report by the National
Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) say theGovernment’s
suggested rapid transition to an all-MAT system could cause
issues for trust quality, potentially impacting other educational
policy priorities such as Covid-19 recovery.
The study offers new insights into the current MAT landscape by
investigating how the mainstream school system has evolved so
far. It says additional consideration is needed to address the
issues facing particular groups of schools (such as faith
schools) and how to ensure that no schools are left behind.
The study also found that some schools, such as small rural
primary schools, may not be attractive to an existing MAT or may
particularly struggle to find a suitable MAT to join.
This is reflected in a short survey that was conducted with
directors of children’s services in England to explore Local
Authorities (LAs) views on the Government’s White Paper
academisation ambitions and the proposals to allow LAs to
establish new MATs. It found that four-fifths of the surveyed LAs
were concerned that some schools in their area risked being left
behind because MATs would be reluctant to take them on.
The survey, carried out with LAs, also revealed that while only
six per cent of responding LAs were actively in favour of the
Government’s aim for all schools to be in a ‘strong’ MAT of at
least 10 schools or 7,500 pupils by 2030, two-thirds were in
favour of establishing their own MATs. However, only 39 per cent
of LA respondents felt they were likely to begin the process of
establishing their own MAT within the next three years.
Jenna Julius, NFER Research Director and co-author of the report,
commented:
“Our research shows that a rapid transition to an all-MAT
system would require schools to join MATs and trusts to merge at
an unprecedented scale.
“The Government needs to prioritise a slower transition that
allows more time to build MAT capacity. The suggested pace and
timing of system change risks creating issues for trust quality,
potentially affecting the educational outcomes for young people.
“It is crucial that efforts and funding to develop and grow
capacity in MATs are focused on those schools that may currently
struggle to join a MAT and that funding is targeted appropriately
to ensure their long-term sustainability.”
The report makes two further recommendations:
- The Government needs to ensure LAs have the right powers and
resources to match their responsibilities.
- More evidence is needed on what makes for a ‘strong’ trust.
ENDSNOTES TO EDITORS
In March 2022, the Schools White Paper set out the ambition for
all schools to be in a ‘strong’ MAT with at least ten schools or
7,500 pupils by 2030. It also outlined proposals to allow LAs to
establish new MATs in areas where too few ‘strong’ trusts
currently exist. This was followed by the introduction of a new
Schools Bill to Parliament, intended to create the legal basis
for regulating all trusts, and the start of a regulatory review
looking at how ‘strong’ trusts should be identified, how new
trusts are commissioned and how trusts should be regulated.
The bill has now been
dropped in its current form.
A short survey was administered by NFER in September 2022 to
directors of children’s services in all LAs in England. A sample
of 33 LAs was achieved (out of 152), representing one in five
local authorities in England. While the achieved sample had good
levels of representation across all regions in England and across
LAs which had academised to different degrees, a degree of
caution is needed when interpreting the analysis of the survey
due to the small sample size.
