Here are the key regional board decisions affecting multi-academy trusts in each region in England in January 2024. For more updates, visit our regional advisory boards hub.

In total, there were eight academy orders and 25 academy conversions, and 18 academy moves between trusts were approved.

From February, as set out by the Department for Education last year, regional advisory boards are using the Trust Quality Descriptions. These set out the criteria that the DfE’s Regions Group can consider when taking decisions about the creation, consolidation and growth of academy trusts.

Scroll down or click the links below to jump straight to your region.

• North East
• South East
• East Midlands
• East of England
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• West Midlands
• London
• South West
• North West (no board meeting to report on in January)
   

North East

• In January the board approved the conversion of Acklam Whin Primary School in Middlesbrough to join The Legacy Learning Trust, a MAT with five primaries and one secondary across Middlesbrough. Approval was given on the condition that the trust’s financial plan was provided, following a report from school resource management advisers.

South East

• The board gave its approval for the sponsoring of King’s Furlong Infant School and Nursery in Hampshire - most recently graded “requires improvement” (RI) - by South Farnham Educational Trust. The MAT currently has six primary academies and one secondary across Surrey and Hampshire. King’s Furlong Infant School and Nursery will be the second school in Hampshire to join the trust in the past year.
• Two schools in Surrey - Yattendon Primary School and Horley Infant School - are to join Greensand Multi Academy Trust, which runs five schools across Surrey and one in West Sussex. With the addition of the two schools, the trust will grow to seven primaries and one secondary.

East Midlands

• The board approved the conversion of two primary schools in Nottinghamshire - Lowe’s Wong Anglican Methodist Junior School and Kirklington Primary School - to join Minster Trust for Education. The trust, based in Nottinghamshire, currently has six primaries and two secondaries.
• Approval was given for the formation of a new MAT called ACE Derbyshire Trust, formed of six primaries in Derbyshire that will convert to academies: Ashbourne Primary School, Bradley CofE Primary School, Brailsford CofE Primary School, Morley Primary School, Norbury CofE Primary School and Hulland CofE Primary School. The board minutes noted that there is a “clear strategic and geographic need for a new Diocese of Derby majority faith multi-academy trust”.
• The board also gave the green light to three single-academy trusts (SATs) joining MATs this month: St Peter’s Church of England Primary Academy SAT in Leicestershire was approved to join Embrace Multi Academy Trust, which currently has seven primaries and two secondaries across Leicestershire. Minutes show that the board felt the trust was “the best fit due to its geographical location and demonstrating it could provide the financial support the school needs”. Two other SATs in Leicestershire - Cobden Primary School and Community Centre and Mountfields Lodge School - will join Bradgate Education Partnership, a 16-school trust in Leicestershire with 14 primaries and two secondaries.

East of England

• The board received a presentation about the High Quality Trust Framework and how the Regions Group will use it to take decisions about the creation, consolidation and growth of academy trusts.
• Approval was given for Andrews Lane Primary School in Hertfordshire to be sponsored by Generations Educational Trust on the approval that “a real-time school improvement plan should be submitted to the regional director before the conversion date”. The move means the trust will grow to two secondaries and two primaries.
• The regional director gave approval for Ingatestone and Fryerning CofE VA Junior School, and Ingatestone Infant School, in Essex, to convert to academy status and join Mid Essex Anglican Academy Trust, a three-primary school trust based in Chelmsford. The regional director agreed that the addition of these schools would increase the trust’s capacity, especially regarding special educational needs and disabilities.
• The regional director deferred the decision on a merger between seven-school MAT Alban Academies Trust and three-school Atlas Multi-Academy Trust to form Alban and Atlas Educational Trust. The regional director, Jonathan Duff, confirmed that he supported the proposal but “asked for further clarification from the trusts on the practical process of the merger, particularly regarding the governance of the new trust”.

Yorkshire and the Humber

• Approval was given for the conversion of Adwick Primary School in Doncaster to join Venn Academy Trust, a 13-school trust with schools in Doncaster, Hull and Pickering. Minutes show that the board “noted the ambitious growth plans of the trust” and “recommended further strengthening of the trust’s existing structure and practices before further growth and expansion”. The trust is now expected to grow to seven primaries, three special schools and four alternative provision schools.
• The board approved the sponsorship of Mallard Primary School in Doncaster by nine-school trust Exceed Learning Partnership, also in Doncaster. However, the board “recommended that the number and regularity of trustee meetings be increased” from four times a year. While the trust “is considered to be in a stable financial position, Schools Financial Support and Oversight (SFSO) colleagues recommended a school resource management adviser (SRMA) deployment”, the board minutes state.
• The board approved the merger of Ryedale Learning Trust - a five-school trust in North Yorkshire - with four-school Areté Learning Trust in the same area. Minutes show that the board “recommended equal representation from both trusts on the shadow board to oversee the merger”. After the merger, the new trust will have five secondaries and four primaries.
• The board denied the transfer of Scawby Academy and Hibaldstow Academy in North Lincolnshire from the two-school St Hybald’s Academy Trust to nine-school The Rose Learning Trust. The “regional director acknowledged that The Rose Learning Trust’s recent Ofsted judgements had shown evidence of their impact, however, would like to see an improvement in the trust’s performance data to go alongside the Ofsted judgements”.

West Midlands

• Approval was given for King Solomon International Business School, currently part of the government-backed Falcon Education Academies Trust, to transfer to Star Academies, a 33-school trust with schools across the country.

London

• The board “discussed challenges around high-needs funding” and the “surplus school places in London, particularly at primary stage”.
• Approval was given for Osidge Primary School in Barnet to convert and join Ashmole Trust, a two-school MAT with one primary and one secondary in the same area.
• The director approved the conversion of Loughborough Primary School in Lambeth to join The Charter Schools Educational Trust (TCSET), an eight-school trust with schools across London. Board minutes show that there was a recommendation for an SRMA deployment for the trust. The board will also “seek a plan from TCSET for financial recovery and growth going forward, working with Loughborough Primary School”.
• Board minutes show that, outside of the meeting, the regional director gave approval for Dollis Primary School, in Barnet, to move to Bellevue Place Education Trust (BPET), an 11-school MAT with schools in Reading and London.

South West

• Milton Abbot Primary School, in West Devon, was approved - with a number of conditions - to convert and join Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT), which comprises a special school, three secondaries and 14 primaries. The conditions include that the trust board must: commission an external review of governance; set up a formal partnership with a high-quality trust with a specific focus on further strengthening the school improvement approach and outcomes; engage with an SRMA following on from the trust’s restructuring in 2022-23; and recruit a fifth member, preferably with trust educational experience. Tes understands these conditions followed a discussion by the trust board and that DMAT welcomes the additional accountability pending an Ofsted inspection.
• Clyst Heath Nursery and Community Primary School and Marpool Primary School, both of which are in Devon, were approved to convert to join Cornerstone Academy Trust, which has four other primaries. The trust must consider and review governance and trust board structures in relation to educational leadership experience.
• Northway Infant School and Carrant Brook Junior School, both in Gloucestershire, were approved to convert to join Gloucestershire Learning Alliance, which runs nine primaries in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire and has approval to open a primary, in Bishop’s Cleeve, Gloucestershire, in September 2025.
• Nine Somerset primary and middle schools were approved to join Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust, which currently has 39 primaries. The schools joining include Mells CofE First School, Beckington CofE First School and Kilmersdon CofE;Primary School, which will convert to academy status; and all six of MAT Beacon Education’s schools: Minehead Middle School, Danesfield CofE School, Old Cleeve CofE First School, St Peter’s CofE First School, Minehead First School, and St Michael’s CofE First School. Beacon’s Ofsted outcomes are “poor”, the board minutes note, and Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust has “significant experience in supporting underperforming schools”. An application will be made to the Strategic School Improvement Capital Budget for Beacon’s schools.
• All of Acorn Multi Academy Trust’s seven primaries, located across East Devon and Dorset, were approved to move to The First Federation Trust (FFT), which has 21 primary academies in Devon and has already taken on three schools this academic year. This move is on the condition that the trust reviews the educational experience on its board and considers adding a further individual with trust-level experience.
• Single-academy trust Wyvern Academy, a main provider of places for pupils with profound SEND in Dorset, was approved to move to Delta Education Trust, which runs three special schools, a primary and an alternative provision school across Portsmouth and Dorset. Wyvern joining Delta is “a good fit geographically and educationally and will strengthen the overall capacity of SEND provision within Delta” as well as creating financial efficiencies, the board minutes state.

Note: Published regional advisory board minutes do not contain full details of the school context.

Written and compiled by Matilda Martin and Charlotte Santry

Find our interactive map of England’s multi-academy trusts by clicking here, where you will also find links to all of our MAT Tracker content