Join a newly founded MAT

Making the Right Decision for your School

Governing Bodies of maintained schools have possibly the most important decision they will have to make when they decide about how and when they are going to embrace the process of academisation. This decision has been made even more difficult as the Department of Education (DfE’s) have given out a clear message that single converter schools or empty MAT’s are unlikely to be given the go ahead to convert.

As a newly established Collaborative Educational Trust, the DfE’s rationale for this decision has quickly been realised in that developing Trusts of 10 or less schools face difficult financial challenges. This is in terms of the design and implementation of centralised services to meet the demands of the academy process. In order to make the sums stack up, to achieve economies of scale, then schools need to be in larger clusters.

The choices that schools seem to be left with seem threefold. Join a MAT with possible sponsors, who have established systems and support structures. Such MATs seem corporate and centralised and as they are already established you will have little say in their governance or strategic direction as their pathways will have been already set. Collaborate with other maintained schools, establish a lead school or appoint an independent CEO and present your case to the DfE.

Associate Membership

Associate Membership allows a school and the trust to form a partnership so that the Trust can provide immediate support to the school. This arrangement is set out in a service level agreement, where the services that the trust will provide, is clearly set out and costed. This service negotiated between the school and the trust, enabling the school to join the trust in a more flexible arrangement, accessing trust resources and supportive systems.

During the partnership, the school can consider converting into the trust based on its experience of working with the trust. Simultaneously, the trust can perform its due diligence processed in a timelier and less intrusive fashion, to ensure that the school is best fit in terms of values and ethos.

A service level agreement is negotiated between the school and the trust and could involve support in:
* School Improvement
* Curriculum Development
* Governance Function
* Finance Function
* Business Function
* Professional Development
* Collaboration and networking
* Strategy and Vision
* Estate management
* Health and safety
* Safeguarding
* Behavioural Support
* Data protection

By working together, the Associate Member and Trust can try before they buy, sample before they commit.