This week, the National Governance Association (NGA) publishes its landmark report, The Mature MAT Model, reflecting on the evolution of the multi-academy trust model to the point we have reached today, where more schools are part of a trust than not, and the majority of pupils are educated within one.

With the recent change in government, now is the perfect moment to reflect on how we reached this point and to make suggestions for the government’s priorities moving forward.

The report draws on our ongoing engagement with trusts and the wider sector, from the nearly 200 external reviews of governance conducted by the NGA-run National Leaders of Governance (NLG) programme to the more than 1,000 trust respondents in our recent annual governance survey, and more.

A mature system

At NGA, we work across the entire schools sector, and we see at first hand how trusts and maintained schools deliver outstanding education to their pupils.

However, structures can and do shape the opportunities and challenges that face specific organisations, so it is possible to draw conclusions about where trusts as a group are succeeding and how we might better support them moving forward.

We now find ourselves in the mature MAT system.

Time, combined with lessons learned from both successes and challenges, and a clear buy-in to the trust model from those governing and leading MATs, has shaped a more confident, innovative and unique system - one distinct from other school structures.

In The Mature MAT Model, we identify a range of examples of this maturity.

New confidence

Approaches to growth are generally more considered and therefore more successful.

Culturally, those operating at the individual academy level are increasingly seeing themselves as part of one trust organisation, willing to share resources and harness the opportunities of the MAT model rather than trying to restrict its reach.

Trust governance is increasingly distinct - with the multiple tiers enabling a clearer strategic focus and more effective financial safeguards.

And in terms of staffing and finances, more and more trusts are successfully harnessing the opportunities of being a group of schools - from using economies of scale to putting together skilled central teams and innovative staff development programmes.

The potential of trusts as an effective force for school improvement has been widely discussed, but we need to look more holistically at the wider benefits offered, especially against a backdrop of restraint on public expenditure.

So, where do we go from here? We propose four key themes that trusts and policymakers should focus on in the coming years.

Where do we go next?

First, the ongoing challenge for all MATs: finding the right balance between localisation and centralisation. This means leveraging the full potential of collaboration and centralisation while preserving the flexibility for individual academies to meet their local needs.

One powerful way that trusts can achieve this balance is through effective local governance, a strategy NGA has long championed.

Second, trusts need the right financial and human resources to thrive. Although they generally face fewer budget pressures and staffing challenges than the maintained sector, these issues still pose significant barriers to MATs’ success.

Third, building the strongest trusts requires bringing together the right mix of schools to raise standards and break down barriers to opportunity.

While context is crucial, we highlight three key principles for forming and growing a successful MAT: achieving enough scale to unlock the benefits of collaboration; ensuring geographical coherence so no school is isolated; and securing stakeholder buy-in to foster unity and shared purpose.

Finally, the broader system architecture needs refinement to better support trusts and hold them accountable.

Working together

Ofsted and local authorities still operate under frameworks designed for a maintained system, while trust accountability mechanisms have often been inconsistent and unclear. Though the new government has started reform, more decisive steps are necessary.

MATs are the new majority model and they are proving increasingly successful in raising standards.

Nonetheless, huge diversity remains in the English schools system, and we see this as an opportunity because it enables innovation, cross-sector learning and, ultimately, for the huge benefits of collaboration to be spread more widely.

Michael Barton is head of external affairs and advocacy at NGA

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