The increasing prominence of multi-academy trusts (MATs) within the UK education system has prompted growing scrutiny of the comparative performance of different MATs, the characteristics of the most effective MATs and the different routes to MAT growth.
This research, which I co-authored with colleagues from LKMco, Ambition School Leadership and CJK Associates, builds on the existing evidence base on MAT types, growth and effectiveness by exploring the different ways MATs operate and how they choose their approach. The report is based on qualitative analysis of structured interviews with 34 MAT CEOs alongside quantitative analysis of 346 survey responses from members of 22 MATs’ central teams and academy senior leadership teams. Taken together, we draw on insights from 47 different MATs.
The report is structured around the key questions MATs need to ask themselves in order to decide how to run their organisation, and explores the range of ways the MATs in our study have answered them. We begin with the fundamental question of vision: what is it that a MAT wants to achieve?
We then explore how this translates, first, into their intended and then, their actual strategy. The latter is important, because context and circumstances are critical considerations in selecting a MAT’s plan of action, even when this means departing from the ideal that might have been pursued if starting with a blank slate.
Throughout, we show the implications that different strategies have for MATs’ operating models.
You can download a copy of the report here.