As a single-academy trust (SAT), navigating the multi-academy trust (MAT) landscape can feel like some bizarre dating ritual as you decide whether you’re still happy being single or if it’s time to start looking for a positive and meaningful relationship.
It can all be a rather daunting process - what compromises might we have to make, who will be the best fit and can we make long-distance work?
Yet, what makes all this especially hard is the fact there are no simple mechanisms to find out which trusts are looking for another partner, where they are based and, most importantly, what they are ultimately about - their vision, their values, their aspirations for growth.
Instead, as an SAT, you find yourself searching Google long into the night and scanning various Department for Education pages to draw together information on finance, workforce, curriculum and principles to gather some sense of who is nearby and if they might be an appropriate match.
Even then, this is all largely superficial and doesn’t give a true sense of what the trust is like, and how it would feel to be part of their family of schools. A conversation with the regional directors can shed some light on who might be worth looking at, but the ball is still largely in your court.
First dates
Consequently, you are then left with the unenviable position of contacting CEOs out of the blue to sell your wares and to see if they might be interested in your SAT. It’s all rather awkward, especially if they’re not interested or initial conversations prove frosty.
Or perhaps they are keen and you meet, chat, get on and think… perhaps there is something here.
So then you really get to know one another, delve into their curriculum, ask them about policies, pose awkward questions about how past partners have found the onboarding process and so on.
But, and this is the shocking bit, sometimes you do all this with two or three other MATs at the same time. This can be deeply uncomfortable and also potentially professionally damaging - but how else do you establish who is right?
The burden of responsibility
The need to make the right call is paramount and the desire to not let your community down is significant. Even if you get the approval of these key groups, the whole undertaking could be quashed if the regional board doesn’t approve of your partnership (application).
The burden of responsibility can feel overwhelming, especially as there is no divorce procedure - once you are in, you are in.
This scenario is being replicated across the country, as more and more SATs are finding it increasingly challenging to operate in isolation as funds become tighter, support services fail and the recruitment crisis bites. The lure of joining a MAT becomes more enticing.
A dating app for schools and trusts
So how can we ensure more positive matches are formed? Well, a dating app for schools and trusts does not exist - but if it did, the whole process could feel a lot less like going on a series of blind dates, and more of an opportunity to select potential matches quickly and easily.
While the notion of a “Trust Tinder” may appear trite, I believe it warrants further thought. After all, the amount of time being spent on this by heads like myself, it is not insignificant - and better insights on trusts could ensure more schools find the right fit for their pupils and community.
For example, the DfE guidance on Commissioning High-Quality Trusts outlines five pillars that trusts will be measured against by the regional board and regional director. Yet at present, this currently isn’t available in a single outward-facing portal. If it were, it could save everyone a huge amount of time and effort.
As such, something that allows heads to quickly establish who is out there, what they are about, their schools, their approaches, their finances, their core values and their non-negotiables in one central place, backed up by stakeholder reviews, including the regional directors, could truly transform this entire process for the better.
Matchmakers for MATs
In today’s technological age, this is easily achievable. The information is there but it’s not being presented in an accessible and meaningful way for those undertaking this process.
It could help regional directors, too - allowing them to act as matchmakers between schools and MATs, akin to the expert panel from Married at First Sight.
Fundamentally, there is a real opportunity to improve this process. Given the DfE desires for all schools to be part of a MAT, it is something that should be given proper consideration.
After all, securing appropriate matches will allow the sector to truly flourish and ensure all our children receive a first-class education.
Will Teece is headteacher of Brookvale Groby Learning Partnership
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