RESOURCE

THE

A GUIDE TO EXPANDING
MULTI-ACADEMY TRUSTS FOR HR
AND FINANCE PROFESSIONALS

What does the future

hold for MATs

Top tips to implement

technology in a
growing MAT

Why strategy is the

backbone of success
RESOURCE
THE

CONTENTS
Welcome to the first edition of The Resource, The Access Group’s publication looking at key issues
for HR, finance and business decision makers in schools, academies and trusts across the UK.

In this inaugural issue, we will look at the key challenges facing Multi Academy Trusts (MATs),
which have grown significantly in number since the start of academisation in 2010. With the well-
publicised pressures of squeezed budgets and increasing demands on HR and finance teams, MATs
looking to expand may encounter barriers to their growth.

Drawing on expert opinion from academics, COOs and our own education team, we will look at key
issues for MATs, including the importance of strategy, how you can get new academies in your trust
up to speed, and advise on how technology can help ease some of the burden on HR and finance
teams, providing freedom for them to do more.

1 WHY AIM FOR

2 Spotlight on:
FURTHER GROWTH?
The rise of Multi Academy Trusts
Jane Gibson, Education Industry Expert
4 FOCUS ON:
Identifying a school for conversion Expert’s perspective:
& key considerations 6
WHY STRATEGY IS THE BACKBONE
OF SUCCESS
8 Top tips: Dr Jacqueline Baxter, Associate Professor in
Public Policy and Management at Open University
To implement technology

ALL ABOARD:
in your growing MAT
10
Advice to get new academies up
12 Challenges during the to speed with your MAT
onboarding process Adrian Ball, Chief Operating Officer
at Inspiration Trust

13 What makes for a

successful MAT? 14 Going for Growth: Key
Considerations for MATs
Steve Howell, CFO at Red Kite Learning Trust
16 Overcoming Trust Growing Pains
A Statistical Analysis
Nicola West Jones, Head of Market
Research at The Key 20 Looking ahead
What does the future hold for MATs
21 Final thoughts:
Paul Grubb, Education Industry Expert
WHY AIM FOR
FURTHER GROWTH?
MATs are the Department for Education’s (DfE) structure of choice. In the
Governance Handbook, the DfE states that governance structures spanning
more than one school create the opportunity for better teaching.

The MAT model involves a number of academies working in collaboration, with

a single trust at the head responsible for the governance of all the academies
within the academy chain.

This model has a number of benefits, such as the ability for schools to maintain
their governing body while being able to grow and support a wider network of
schools.

With the sweet spot being 12-20 academies to make the most of shared
resources, for many MATs, continued growth means more benefit.

Other advantages include:

• More effective governance

• A clear identity and focus
• Economies of scale creating savings
• Widespread enrichment opportunities for pupils, such as through the
provision of a larger range of breakfast and after school clubs
• Shared best practice
• Reduced costs per school through centralised services
• The ability to focus funds where they are most needed
• Shared resources, including staff
• Increased staff retention by increasing opportunities

1
 The rise of
Multi Academy Trusts (MATs)

It
is easy to see why so many
academies are keen to join
forces as part of a trust. With the
responsibility for managing their own
budgets and business functions, the ability
to share resources and expertise can be
a huge draw.

According to the latest government

figures¹ there are 6,106 Academies in
England, including 1,668 Single Academies
and 4,438 in Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs).
These numbers are likely to continue
to increase with more schools planning
to join trusts in the near future. Whether or not academy status drives up
pupil attainment is still a matter for debate.
But perhaps it is no coincidence that the
five top performing secondary schools in
England are all academies and, of those,
four belong to MATs.²

That is not to say that MAT growth is

always straightforward. One of the biggest
challenges for trusts is the different levels
of competencies in the academies they are
onboarding.

Another challenge, of course, is funding

and many schools have already seen real-
term budget cuts. Teacher pay rises of
3.5%, agreed in 2018, could put additional
stress on stretched-budgets on top of the
increased cost of essential supplies, like
facilities maintenance and energy bills.

2 1 Source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/684244/SFR02_2018_text.pdf
2 Source: www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&geographic=all&region=0&phase=secondary
I am confident that MAT growth will continue in the
coming years, unless it is halted by government
intervention. Whatever happens, every school –
whether an academy or maintained – will have to
manage their resources even more effectively.
Being part of a MAT brings more buying Automating admin processes to save
power and economies of scale. Instead time and reduce user-error is at the
of having a finance and HR department heart of what Access does, so we’re
in each academy, it surely makes sense fully supportive of the DfE programme.³
to streamline resources into a central Although it is still early days, one thing
business support team, with a single is clear: as the number and size of MATs
platform that authorised users across increases, technology is key to maximising
different sites can sign into. budgets and delivering positive pupil
outcomes, today and in the future.
The Department for Education (DfE)
recently signalled its determination to Jane Gibson
standardise financial management in Education Industry Expert
academies with the Better Financial The Access Group
Reporting programme. Enabling academies
to automatically submit financial
information could result in enormous time-
saving benefits, while the DfE has better
quality data to analyse.

‘6,106’ Academies

+
3
3 Source: www.gov.uk/government/news/better-financial-reporting-for-academy-trusts
 According to The Access Group survey, as
many as 98% of HR, finance and business
support staff said that budget cuts would be
the biggest challenge facing the sector over
the next two years. We also found that:

70%
of decision-makers
within MATs expected
their trust to grow in
the next 12 months
52%
of Education HR and
Finance Leaders said
that between one and
five academies is the
optimum size for a MAT

Key considerations
What to think about when
investing in software
Does the product meet the unique needs of MATs? The Access Group has grown rapidly over recent years,
so we are aware of the challenges this brings – for MATs
Is it quick to implement and easy to use, enabling which have to take on failing schools, this can be a more
you to extract value from it as soon as possible? difficult task.

Does it integrate with other systems, so you can
automatically generate reports without logging
onto another platform?
Managing growth – Growing MATs need a solid plan for
integration. Getting a school on board quickly without
harming the MAT, communicate expectations to staff.
From there, they can get the right systems in place –
what do they need and how do you implement it?

4
MATs: Identifying a school for conversion
Due diligence is the most important
factor when identifying a school that
could help your trust to grow. A
greater emphasis is needed on the
business support aspect, rather than
to focus solely on what is happening
in classrooms, which can be an
easier fix.
A trust that fails to grow is at serious risk
of failing to implement new changes to
improve. Following detailed due diligence,
if the benefits of taking the school on
outweigh the short term losses of getting
the rest of the project up to speed, even
a school in special measures could be a
huge stimulus for your trust.

When selecting a school, it is essential to

work out what is needed but also what
else is in place that could be an asset to
the trust. Even schools in special measures
have some great people and strategies,
whether that’s a new approach to
wellbeing, for example, or an outstanding
head of science.
Adrian Ball, Chief Operating Officer,
Inspiration Trust

Checklist: Essential Financial Tasks

During the Conversion Process
If you are adopting a school which previously was not an academy into your MAT,
then there are a number of essential financial tasks which you must ensure take
place during the conversion process.
•  ubmit the EFA budget forecast return
S • R
 egister your academy with Companies
within six weeks of receiving our final House as soon as the EFA has approved
funding letter your memorandum and articles of
association, to enable you to submit
• O
 pen a new bank account, notifying annual financial statements
the EFA
• E
 nsure all members of staff, governors
• Appoint academy accountants/auditors and trust members have current DBS
checks
• C
 omplete a financial management and
governance self-assessment, using • R
 egister under the data protection act
the online form, within four months of with the information Commissioner’s
opening Office (ICO) and appoint a data
protection officer
• R
 egister as an academy with HMRC and
obtain a new PAYE coding reference for
payroll

5
 EXPERT OPINION:
WHY STRATEGY
IS THE BACKBONE
OF SUCCESS
Dr Jacqueline Baxter is Associate Professor in Public Policy and Management at
the Open University, a Senior Fellow at the Higher Education Academy, a member
of the Council of BELMAS (The British Educational Leadership, Management and
Administration Society), and Editor in Chief of the Sage Journal, Management in
Education. Here, she explains some of the challenges MATs currently face – and
what they can do to avoid them as they expand.

While there are clearly some excellent
MATs across the country, their sheer
size – and the financial freedom they are
afforded – mean they also face major
challenges. The most obvious issues are
the lack of accountability, since they do not
have to report to the local authority, and
the fact that growth could span different
geographical and council areas, combining
rural and city schools, with very different
needs and challenges.
It seems that success also comes at a price,
with top-performers often under pressure
to take on failing schools. Every time a
MAT takes on another academy, it risks
rocking the boat and could compromise
standards across the trust. If a school is in
special measures, it will often have a failing
board of governors and budget shortfalls,
which are only likely to compound existing
funding challenges for the MAT overall. It
is no wonder MATs could be reluctant to
take on new schools when they may risk
jeopardising the overall reputation of the
organisation.
There are some clear examples of MATs
taking a measured approach to growth,
and are well aware of the potential
problems associated with it, these MATs
have strategic plans that factor in finance
and growth in terms of their medium and
long term aspirations. Yet this isn’t the case
across the board.

6
‘EVEN SMALLER MATS HAVE THE
POWER TO DETERMINE THEIR OWN
FUTURE YET THIS ISN’T THE CASE
ACROSS THE BOARD’
Worryingly, I have spoken to MAT leaders
who have no idea why they want to expand
or who chose to do so simply to avoid being
‘eaten up’ by a bigger trust. Our research
has found that, while there are a number
of factors driving growth, including shared
values and mitigating risk, resources and
business viability play a significant role.⁴
One concern among leaders of smaller
MATs is that they will be forced to take
on under-performing schools that need
significant support from the local authority.
Although this looks like an ‘easy’ way
to raise standards, it simply pushes the
problem to another body and could lead to
further disruption across the system.

All this underlines the importance of having If, however, there is a strong strategic plan
a clear plan for the MAT’s future, and the and rationale, then even smaller MATs
steps needed to get there. In my experience, have the power to determine their own
religious trusts are often good at this because future and make a strong case for why
they are used to working in federations and a school should or shouldn’t join. Within
approaching issues as a cohesive group. the MATs system there are some good
examples of best practice, but there are
The fact that trusts receive large sums still numerous issues that need
of public money means they have a to be resolved.
responsibility to develop a robust strategy,
and approach growth in the same manner
as any other responsible business, although
not all are successful at this. As mentioned
previously, this requires a measured
approach that encompasses educational and
financial outcomes. There is nothing wrong
with expansion, as long as MATs do so in line
with the resources they have and as long as
they are clear about how the expansion fits
with their aspirations and overall strategy.

7
4 Source: Baxter, J and Floyd , A (2019) Under review (BERJ).
 TOP TIPS TO IMPLEMENT
TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR
GROWING MAT
PAUL GRUBB
Education industry Expert,
The Access Group

Purchase
Choose true cloud solutions. For a
growing MAT, cloud software is easy
to implement and extend to new
academies with no software to install
and access provided via a standard
browser. Do insist on true cloud
software as opposed to hosted on
premise software that often comes
with additional complexities.

Share your growth plans with

suppliers during the selection
process. This may influence how the
software is implemented and save you
time and money down the line as your
MAT grows.
Is your software designed for
Education? Whilst accounting, HR and
budgeting solutions may share core
elements with other industries, the UK
education market has many specific
requirements and statutory returns,
make sure your supplier supports
these and commits to supporting
future changes to the statutory
requirements.
Talk to reference sites that are the
same size as you and those who are
the size you aim to be. That way you
can have some assurance that your
chosen supplier can support your
growth plan.
8
Will your software support growth?
Both technically and commercially.
Are there any server or configuration
limits with larger implementations?
Some suppliers offer site licences as
opposed to specific user licences. Site
licences allow you greater flexibility as
your MAT grows. It is important that you
understand how your chosen supplier’s
commercials work as your MAT grows
- you don’t want to be faced with any
unexpected costs half way into your
contract.
Look for flexible support offerings.
After you have added several more
academies you will become more
expert in the systems and may require
less support. Does your supplier offer
support options to meet your needs
and level of experience?
Implementation
“Scalable and repeatable
processes will ensure
you maintain quality
throughout the project”
Have a standard implementation
across your MAT that you apply to
every new academy. This will simplify
implementation and as you repeat the
process you should gain competency
and speed.
Allocate a project owner/manager to
be the “go-to” person and drive the
project forward.
Communication is crucial in any
software implementation. Have
a project kick off meeting to set
expectations of stakeholders and
share timelines & plans. Ensure you
continue to communicate throughout
the project. At the end of the project
learn from your successes and your
mistakes. Review what went well and
what didn’t for the next project and
adjust your process accordingly.
You don’t have to migrate all data.
Moving to a new system can often
be an opportunity to cleanse data
e.g. suppliers in a finance system, or
old pay scale data. Note there are
statutory requirements on the storage
of certain data items but this should
not stop you reviewing to identify
which data should go forward to your
new system.
For mission critical software like
payroll, parallel runs are essential.
Have a risk plan for each
implementation identify key risks,
their impact and importantly any risk
mitigation.
Preparation and Processes.
Fail to prepare and prepare to
fail. Preparation is key alongside
repeatable processes. As you grow
you will be carrying out the same tasks
as new academies join. Scalable and
repeatable processes will ensure you
maintain quality throughout the project.
Be sure to regularly review your
processes and adapt as you grow.
Get off on the right foot. Consider
how to support your team on the
first day of implementation. e.g. floor
walkers on site for the first day. Have
people on hand to nip problems in
the bud and assist those who need
it. Twilight sessions for staff to review
issues and problems. Schools are time
precious organisations try to make the
best of that time and ensure problems
are not left to fester.
9
 ALL ABOARD!
ADVICE TO GET NEW ACADEMIES
UP TO SPEED WITH YOUR MAT
As
chief operating
officer of Inspiration
Trust, Adrian Ball has
experienced the many
aspects of incorporating schools into a
growing trust. With 13 academies now
part of the Trust, Adrian explains some
key lessons when bringing a new
academy up to speed.
For schools looking to become an
academy and join a Multi-Academy
Trust (MAT), the competitive
advantages can be huge. The greatest
immediate benefits include the
access to a bigger scope of school
improvement strategies, a range of
academic expertise, greater buying
power and financial security which
comes from being part of a group.
At the Inspiration Trust we stress the
importance of these benefits being
shared both ways. If the on-boarding
process is completed effectively, then
a trust can gain from adding another
member to a like-minded group, as
well as adding a fresh infusion of
concepts and enthusiasm.
10
The biggest challenge during the
on-boarding process is the lack of
solid information. When schools
are brought into a trust following
their fall into an Ofsted category
or special measures, the quality of
record keeping is often poor. Even
when a school is ranked as ‘good’ or
better, the difference in management
information systems can present
difficulties in identifying common
fields of information.
It is important to understand that
schools in special measures will be in
that position for a reason and much of
this stems from a lack of paperwork,
particularly around staffing,
governance and finance.
At the Inspiration Trust, we are the first
to admit that we made some mistakes
during the on-boarding process for
the first few schools we brought into
the trust. Ultimately, this is because
we made decisions with our hearts,
rather than our heads.
 “initially we put too much
focus on being the saviours
of the school”
When you’re looking at a school that
is in trouble, it is easy to get invested
in how you can turn the school
around early on and focus solely on
the education provision. It’s certainly
true that initially we put too much
focus on being the saviours of the
school, rather than focusing on the
practicalities and costs involved in
making the necessary changes. In one
example, we missed a major drop in
the local demographics and a huge
fall in pupil numbers which took a few
years to recover and increased costs
significantly.
Since then, we have focused on
creating an objective report on the
school as a business for consideration
by trustees, which combines both
financial and operational due
diligence reports with an overview
of what is required to improve
educational outcomes. As part of
this, it is important to get a projection
on future pupil numbers and the
initial capital investment that will be
required, as well as scoping out any
transferring liabilities.
You always expect to see initial losses,
but it is important to have a date when
the school starts to contribute to the
trust. Within five years, by which point
the school will have had two OFSTED
cycles to get out of special measures
and up to ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’
standard, you should be seeing a
return on the trusts investment.
For growing trusts, it is important
that the focus is on clarity of
communication on the vision and
values, which will enable you to get
your culture and processes in place
most effectively. MATs offer a great
vehicle to dramatically improve
schools, but it is essential that due
diligence processes are effective to
ensure the long-term viability of the
wider trust.
Adrian Ball, Chief Operating Officer,
Inspiration Trust
11
 CHALLENGES
DURING THE
ONBOARDING
PROCESS

Staffing
Despite the fact that nearly a third of
publicly-funded schools in England are
now academies, there is still some fear
and resentment towards academies and
academisation. This means that, during the
on-boarding process, staffing can become
a problem if communication isn’t there.

Fears can be exaggerated if the trust doesn’t

communicate its aims to staff clearly. It is
also essential for MATs that they can gain the
support of unions. Although the conversations
with union reps can be difficult, if you can get
the unions on board, it can go a long way to
allaying concerns of their members.
Once a MAT has proven itself to be effective
at bringing a new school or academy on
board, the unions will be happy to work with
them and develop a strong relationship.
Governance
Securing the cooperation of the board of
governors at a school can have a huge impact
on the ease of the on-boarding process and
how quickly the school can be brought up
to speed.
In most trusts, governors will have reduced
influence, as the articles of association and
schemes of delegation put greater legal
responsibility in the hands of the trust board.
This can be a challenging realisation if it is
only discovered following academisation.

Finance No one will complain about receiving too

The ability to scale a MATs financial system
is a huge benefit to the on-boarding process,
particularly if a trust is ambitious and looking
to take on more than one school at the
same time.
much information, so be clear and up front
from the start of the process and don’t give
an impression of autonomy to governors
if it is unlikely to exist. It is much easier
to have these difficult conversations
at the start of the process.

The key considerations from a financial point

of view are around basics, such as whether
the budget has been approved, as well as
if inflation, demographic changes and cost
of living increases, have been factored into
financial plans.

12
WHAT
MAKES FOR A
SUCCESSFUL
MAT?
Successful MATs come in different shapes
and sizes; however, they always have an
accountability framework which ensures
everyone understands what happens when
essential staff members are not performing to
required standards.
The most successful MATs plan for the future,
and that includes filling vacancies when a
leading team member leaves the establishment.
There should be a clear succession plan for
essential posts within the MAT; this includes
ensuring there are strong talent pools within your
organisation.
There also has to be delegated frameworks for
governance at trust and LGB level. These should
establish the authority levels for authorisation,
and clearly state where the Secretary of State
for Education’s consent must be sought. This
ensures that roles and responsibilities are clearly
defined and understood – preventing any duties
being neglected and ensuring accountability.
Financial management policies and
procedures must be robust and followed to the
letter. A strong internal auditing process must
be in place and well qualified experts should
be leading the way. Auditors should be well-
versed in DfE requirements and adhere to the
National Audit Office’s (NAO) expectations.
Policy changes should be effectively
communicated and efficiently implemented
with risk management strategies in place
and ensuring you know what changes are
on the horizon.
A system of school-to-school support is
often employed that is focussed on needs
and enables steady expansion without
compromising education. And, of course,
the education and safety of the children
should be at the forefront of every decision.

THE PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE

71%
The Access Group found that 71 per cent of decision makers with
finance, HR and business functions in the sector find productivity in
the workplace considerably or extremely challenging.

Two-thirds said that currently they cannot directly access the

information they need from other departments.

HR, finance and business decision makers surveyed thought that

being able to use collaborative technology and software would result
in their organisation being an average of 13 per cent more productive.

13
 GOING FOR
GROWTH: KEY
CONSIDERATIONS
FOR MATS
Steve Howell is CFO of Red Kite Learning Trust. He knows all about the challenges of growing
a multi-academy trust (MAT). Following a successful career in the private sector where he
worked for the likes of Unilever, Coca-Cola Enterprises and various other large organisations.
In 2009 he joined Harrogate Grammar School as business manager.

The school became a founding academy of the Red Kite Learning Trust MAT and Steve’s role
grew from there. Now he has fiscal responsibility for 13 academies and the thriving Red Kite
Teaching School Alliance, with a £50m turnover, 8000 students and pupils, and 1200 staff. He
has a unique perspective on the challenges that come with growing a small MAT and taking it
to the next level.

An estimated 80% of MATs have five or fewer schools within their trust and while the objective of
growth for growth’s sake is not recommended; larger trusts are able to offer greater stability and
wider benefits to their member academies, often out of the reach of smaller MATs.

Growth is therefore an objective for many MATs, including Red Kite Learning Trust, as we aim to
increase efficiency and continually improve overall educational performance. But what should be
considered during the critical early phase of growth?

Dedicated resource
Smaller trusts face significant challenges
around how to fuel growth without access to
additional funding. Leaders in an emerging
MAT can end up taking on the significant task
of growing the MAT alongside the rigorous
demands of their day job. For obvious
reasons, this can be problematic.
Identifying the right moment to bring in new
colleagues and additional resources to help
manage growth can be tricky. At Red Kite
Learning Trust this moment came when we
got to six schools. Up until this point we were
managing with shared resources from within
the core schools where people and skills
were being offered on a largely voluntary
basis. This could only continue for so long
though and we reached a point where we
needed to expand our dedicated business
support team.
There was a real step-change when the trust
grew by another seven academies to make
thirteen in total. Six new maintained schools
and one academy joined the trust, almost
overnight, leading to an increase in the need
for an expanded central team. An increase
in financial contributions to the group at the
same time made this possible and we took
on a director of operations and developed
additional senior leadership and operational
capacity in Finance, HR and Network.
Skip forward to today and Red Kite Learning
Trust has a part-time purchasing manager, a
full-time estates manager and extra resource
for governance and administration. Over time
we’ve been able to carefully build a central
team with wide-ranging benefits for member
academies and the group as a whole.

14
Clarity for
joining schools
Even in the very early days though, when
we were a MAT of just three academies, we
started out with a centralised view of the
world. This may not be the case for all MATs,
but I believe it is important to have a clearly
defined strategy from the beginning.

It is important to have clarity about the MAT’s

culture and organisational structure early on.
If a MAT begins life with a delegated or widely
distributed authority structure it can be very
difficult to change things further down the line.

While it can take time to reach maturity, to

establish processes and procedures and to
get systems working effectively across a MAT
– having a clear vision is critical, especially for
schools considering joining.
Software, standardisation
Primary and
secondary
We also learned early on that a mix of primary
and secondary schools brings significant
advantages of sharing professional best
practice across both phases of education. Lots

and collaboration of MATs have a single secondary with multiple

primary feeder schools around them. For
us, this doesn’t allow for the same potential
It may seem like a small detail to some, but
collaboration and CPD benefits for staff or
joining up systems across the MAT is vitally
enable the same excellent level of shared
important. And while simple things, like having
expertise. This is vitally important because
everyone on the same email platform may
improving teaching performance, and the
seem straightforward, it can be more complex
development and retention of skilled
than expected.
teachers is inextricably linked with success.
We’re investing in a common network
infrastructure to ensure the highest level of
collaboration across the organisation. This
has the benefit of increasing knowledge- Recruitment
sharing amongst teaching professionals,
improving the efficiency of the production of and retention
curriculum teaching resources, and making
That’s why we invest in recruitment through
the excellence of our “leading light” schools
our strong central HR team, but as our MAT
more accessible for other member academies
grows, we’re able to improve our retention
undergoing change and looking to tackle
rate too to keep people interested with
specific challenges, improving literacy for
varied roles across the organisation.
example. Technology is at the heart of
developing this collaboration and enabling
At Red Kite Learning Trust we’ve
excellence.
endeavoured to focus on the five “Cs”:
capacity, change, compliance, culture and
Back-office systems shouldn’t be overlooked
coherence. With limited resource it’s difficult
either. The ability to work together in the
to prioritise which areas get investment and
most efficient way possible by shifting to the
at which juncture, but we believe a clearly
cloud and managing everything from risk
defined vision, the right MAT structure and
and compliance, to payroll, training and HR is
the latest technology to enable collaboration
crucial. Standardisation also brings enormous
are fundamental to our growing success.
gains in efficiency across the group.

15
 OVERCOMING TRUST
GROWING PAINS
A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
Nicola West Jones is head of market research at The Key, a trusted provider of knowledge
and know-how to education leaders. In her role, Nicola has run focus groups and surveys
of decision-makers in multi-academy trusts. Their recent report, in partnership with Forum
Strategy, “Trust expansion: overcoming growing pains”, explores trust leaders’ motivations,
priorities and plans for growth.

Here, Nicola discusses some of the key findings and offers an insight into the challenges
and benefits associated with trusts taking on more schools.

Plans for growth The reasons trusts aren’t looking to grow

We asked leaders about their trust’s
plans for expansion and found that 54%
are in the process of trying to grow.
would grow “if the right
28% schools came along”
would like to grow “in the
12% future, but we’re not ready”
are far from controversial. For many,
the key consideration for trusts looking
to grow is centred around carrying out
due diligence, not just on finances and
performance data, but also ensuring that
any school joining their trust is a good
fit culturally, sharing a similar ethos and
vision for education.

16
Geographical challenges
While most trusts see growth as a necessity for financial
viability, many also have concerns around expansion. These These findings show the
worries centred on the location of any new schools, but also importance of ‘localism’ to
the trust’s ability to continue to support existing schools schools and trusts, with the
after further expansion, and concerns over compliance
and risk when integrating a school into the trust. main concern about growth
being sites spread too far
of respondents fear “spreading geographically. Concerns
53% our area of operation out too far about the negative impact
geographically” on new and existing schools
also highlights strong ethical
are worried about “the negative effect leadership from trust leaders
51% on existing schools in the trust in – they are really focused on
terms of our ability to support them” school improvement.

are concerned about “compliance

25% and reputational risk arising during
the integration phase”
17
 Trust leaders’ priorities
With the increase of academies and trusts across the country,
growth to achieve economies of scale has become seen as It’s not surprising to see a
the top priority for trust leaders. However, our findings show
focus on financial concerns.
a number of other key considerations for decision makers.
Ofsted recently found
We asked trust leaders to pick the top strategic priorities that headteachers within
(up to 3) for their trust over the coming academic year: trusts were worried about
finances following budget
53% said that “improving our budget situation reductions and operating in a
and/or raising income” was a priority challenging financial climate.

will be focused on “consolidating the Interestingly these priorities

51% curriculum offer across the trust” differ across small (up to
five schools), medium (6-
The third most common priority is “adding new 10 schools), large (11-20
schools to the trust and/or merging with another schools), and mega (20+
trust” (39%), closely followed by “centralising schools) MATs.
services” (38%)

18
Small (up to five schools) Medium (6-10 schools)
60% 60%

50% 50%

40% 40%

30% 30%

20% 20%

10% 10%

0% 0%
Budget / Raising Adding schools / Consolidating MAT Consolidating MAT Budget / Raising Adding schools /
income Merging curriculum curriculum Income merging

Large (11-20 schools) Mega (20+ schools)

80% 80%
70% 70%
60% 60%
50% 50%
40% 40%
30% 30%
20% 20%
10% 10%
0% Consolidating MAT Budget / Raising Centralising
0% Consolidating MAT Budget / Raising Centralising
curriculum Income services curriculum Income services

For more information about The Key’s report “Trust expansion: overcoming growing pains”, visit: 19
www.thekeysupport.com/academy-trusts/downloads/
 LOOKING AHEAD:
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE
HOLD FOR MATS
“Any return to full local authority control is unlikely to happen, whatever
happens politically, we have come too far for that, and the costs would
be prohibitive. MATs that have good strong governance are more likely
to have a successful future, but unless their overarching issues with
governance and accountability are addressed, we will continue to see more of the
high profile failures that appear all too often in the media.

“Ofsted is only permitted to inspect individual schools. Even if they were permitted
to inspect trust boards, it is unlikely that they have the capacity within their already
overstretched organisation. This is why we need an independent body to inspect
high level MAT boards and ensure that they are providing good standards and high
levels of financial and organisational probity.”

Dr Jacqueline Baxter

“According to the latest DfE figures, academies incurred a deficit of

more than £6billion⁵ – and I have no doubts that the pressure to make
savings will intensify further in the coming years. A central support team,
connected by a shared platform, allows MATs to reduce the number of
duplicated tasks and time-consuming admin, while providing the quality data school
leaders need to drive decision-making.”

Jane Gibson

“Whatever happens politically, academy trusts will still be around and I

think we are too far along the academisation process for any significant
backtracks. The next phase for MATs will be greater collaboration and
merges between trusts, with more growing to the sweet spot of between
12-20 academies to make the most of shared resources. Smaller trusts of two or three
academies will soon become unsustainable and more of these trusts will have to join
larger trusts to succeed.”

Adrian Ball

20
5 Source: h
 ttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/754298/Academy_schools_sector_in_England_
consolidated_annual_report_and_accounts_year_ended_31_August_2017.PDF
RESOURCE
THE

FINAL
THOUGHTS
As this edition has shown, being part of a It goes without saying that pupil outcomes
growing MAT could put single academies are the priority for every education
and maintained schools on a stronger professional, and MATs can provide a
financial footing that supports pupil structure to push best practice across
attainment. a number of schools. From curriculum
planning to back office tasks, they need
Speaking regularly to school leaders, the right tools to consolidate data, uncover
and understanding the challenges they what works well and then instil these
face, I believe the MAT model offers real processes across the trust.
benefits.
As Adrian Ball points out, technology is
An investigation by Schools Week, reports an essential part of this journey. Like any
that supersized academies are now taking business scaling up, ensuring easy access
on high-performing schools ‘en masse’ to accurate and up-to-date information
with some now moving into the ‘sweet is critical to implementing a strategy for
spot’ for economies of scale (around growth of a trust.
12-20).⁶ Any bigger than that and there
is a danger that they lose their agility, so It goes without saying that collaborative
become little different to a large local platforms are key to harnessing this data
authority. and making strategic decisions. Schools
often have the data but lack insights – and
I’d echo Dr Baxter’s views that every this problem is amplified in large trusts. A
MAT, no matter what its size, should successful MAT knows what is happening
have a strategy for growth. Given how across the school and continually makes
precarious funding can be, trusts will have improvements.
to scrutinise how every penny is spent
in order to operate successfully as a At The Access Group, we understand the
business. challenges MATs face, particularly those
who take on failing schools. Never has it
been more important to have a solid plan
“every MAT, no in place for integration, so schools join the
MAT with minimum disruption. From there,
matter what its it is a question of getting the right system
in place to help every academy excel.
size, should have a Paul Grubb,

strategy for growth” Education Industry Expert

The Access Group

21
6 Source: www.schoolsweek.co.uk/investigation-supersized-academy-trusts-are-on-the-rise
Access Education
For over a decade, schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and local authorities
have benefited from our extensive knowledge and understanding of the sector.

The Access Education software suite provides efficiency and engagement

across your whole educational establishment. From finance and curriculum-based
planning, through to HR, payroll, recruitment and screening, hosting and facilities
management, all your school’s software is brought together in one place on
Access Workspace.

And if you need any help, our team of Education experts are on hand to provide
tailored support and training during implementation and beyond.

Over 8,000 schools and academies across England and Wales – that’s one in
three – choose Access Education to transform the way they work, giving
them the freedom to provide outstanding education.

CONTACT US
Contact us

0845 345 3300

accesseducation@theaccessgroup.com
theaccessgroup.com/education
0845 345 3300
accesseducation@theaccessgroup.com
theaccessgroup.com/education