The Schools White Paper, wherever we are with it now, led to many discussions on the viability of smaller multi-academy trusts (MATs) and whether they can be sustained.
Many were left wondering if they faced the prospect of being forced to join another, bigger trust and what this might entail.
It’s a reality I know well as, 12 months ago - and before the government suggestion all trusts should have at least 10 schools by 2030 - our five-school Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET), where I had been chief executive since 2012, completed a voluntary merger with the 23-school Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust (CMAT) to create Meridian Trust.
Three more schools have since come on board, so we’re now formed of 31 schools: 14 primary, 14 secondary and three special schools, serving about 17,500 students in total.
Why we merged
The merger itself was voluntary and instigated because, as two trusts that were already working together, we saw that if we combined our resources, it would offer a more sustainable approach to the delivery of high-quality primary education for more children across the region.
We also knew we could offer enhanced special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision and special school provision by virtue of CMAT’s capacity and expertise in this area.
Meanwhile, for staff, we felt it would give them the benefit of greater leadership, career progression and professional development opportunities, as well as a wider sharing of expertise and best practice.
As a result, we knew we could provide high-quality primary education for more children across our region, with pupils benefiting from the combined expertise and capacity of trust primary leaders at a time of significant prior growth within both trusts.
Engaging the community
The process was not straightforward, of course, but the fact that CMAT’s chief executive was a CPET trustee, and that I was also on CMAT’s board, made it a lot simpler in terms of existing knowledge of each other’s organisations.
Practically, the voluntary merger took six months to agree from the start of a formal conversation.
We engaged with staff, parents/carers and partners about the merger through an initial public consultation, and subsequently (and importantly) post-merger to consider what high-quality learning at the heart of the community would mean in the future, and how we would achieve the aspirations of our vision and mission.
In the past year, we have seen our capacity for providing high-quality learning and teaching approaches for our children, adapted to their needs, increase and collectively bring much-improved opportunities for our communities.
Our staff benefit from wider development with the sharing of this good practice, very much focusing on all that is in the best interests of our children.
Debate and healthy disagreement
The merger also helps us to continue attracting and retaining the most talented staff to deliver the highest possible standards of education.
With CPET’s successful 10-year model of primary school development, combined with the other schools from CMAT, we have a significantly strengthened primary leadership base.
The increased size and scaling of the new trust is leading to enhanced levels of continuous school development, as well as improved use of available resources. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Teaching School Hub, which CPET held, is also now part of Meridian Trust.
Naturally, we do not agree on everything, and it is healthy to admit that. With two trust chief executives coming together, you have to adapt to each other’s ways of working.
We have many educational debates, but characters and relationships are important, and I and Meridian Trust’s chief executive have a decade-long history of partnership working. If one of us is struggling with change, we will question each other, but we often find that results in better outcomes for all.
How you can make it work
Smaller MATs will be reflecting on whether they have gone as far as they could or should, and whether they can be stronger in a bigger organisation - and there are some important considerations when thinking about growth or a merger.
One is that a MAT should not be dependent on one or a very small number of people, so succession planning is key. Another is whether you are too insular and need to widen your connections to benefit your communities. That may be especially important in some parts of the country.
Other factors will also come into play, such as who is running the MAT, its financial viability and whether the local authority is still supportive.
If you do want to grow as a MAT, you need to understand your motivation and rationale for it. Working in a MAT is about sharing the aim of improving the offer for children and adults.
You must be committed to a common purpose and at the centre of that is a moral imperative to look after each other within the “family”.
It is not about collecting schools, it is about children’s and families’ life opportunities, and how we can support and nourish those. It is hard work; you need passion and commitment on both sides, and you should be prepared to be flexible and adaptable or there could be heartache.
For schools considering joining a MAT, they should be reflecting on a number of questions.
First, what are the trust’s aims and values, and are they aligned to those of your own organisation? Words can be powerful but they have to be lived and breathed, and ultimately put into action.
Second, what is the financial state of the trust? Is there enough money to develop and improve the school/s?
Third, on governance, how will it work? You need to understand how this will function and the policies underpinning it. It is really important to think about the future, not just now, and what joining a particular MAT will mean for the local community.
Ultimately, the question any school should come back to is how will this benefit our children?
Lesley Birch is the deputy chief executive of Meridian Trust. She features in a new sector insight report The 2030 MAT Growth Challenge: Effective Strategies and Systems
