Rural schools are receiving “many” unsuitable advances from multi-academy trusts (MATs) hoping to recruit them but that lack relevant experience, according to a leading regional schools network organisation.
Schools North East, which represents 1,150 schools in the North East of England, says it is getting regular reports from member schools that local authority and single trust schools in parts of the region are being approached by - and rejecting - MATs, often from outside of the North East region, that have “little experience in managing or working with rural schools”.
The government’s Schools Bill, published in March, set an expectation that all schools should be in, or joining, a “strong” trust of 10 or more by 2030.
But heads in the North East have questioned the Department for Education’s broad “models of collaboration”, including that MATs “typically start to develop central capacity when they have more than 10 schools” - and say it is leading to inappropriate advances to rural schools.
There is no regulation currently in place to force schools to join an academy trust, apart from in specific circumstances, such as an “inadequate” Ofsted inspection.
But, in a policy briefing for members, Schools North East said that the “rhetoric” promoting academisation is concerning school leaders in the North East because of a lack of understanding of how rural schools operate in particular.
And it added that “schools in parts of Northumberland and County Durham have said that many of the trusts they have been approached by have little experience in managing or working with rural schools”.
Schools in sparsely populated areas are also worried about losing their autonomy if they join a larger trust, the organisation says.
Schools need the ‘right models’ of collaboration
Director of Schools North East Chris Zarraga said: “The national rhetoric around academisation, and education policy more generally, rarely translates well for schools working in areas like Northumberland or rural County Durham.”
His comments were based on concerns raised by schools within the network at roundtable events held over the past few months.
Although there were some opportunities opened to rural schools by joining trusts, he said they needed “the right models of collaboration”.
Donna Goddard, chair of trustees at Berwick Academy in Northumberland, said: “We’ve found it particularly difficult to find an appropriate MAT to join because of the particular challenges that isolated and rural schools have.”
Her school had previously been in special measures and looking for a MAT to join. Although it was now out of special measures, it was still looking to find a suitable MAT, though not as “dynamically” as before.
She said: “There is a formula that works for some families of schools, but in rural communities where you are 50 miles away from the nearest large town, and closer to towns in another nation - Scotland - that poses particular difficulties.
“The DfE does talk about the benefits of joining a MAT, but certain financial benefits are not available to us as a rural school.
“We cannot share staffing, for example, because we are geographically fairly isolated. The current plan for families of 10 schools is a one-size-fits-all model”.
Neil Short, chair of the National Association of Small Schools (NASS), said that the concerns being raised about joining MATs with little experience working with small and rural schools was something he “often heard” from his members “across the country”.
“A one-size-fits-all approach to academisation or structures does not work for all schools,” he said.
”Many rural schools form partnerships with other schools to share resources, but they do it in their own ways, rather than necessarily needing the trust structure”, he added.
The NAHT school leaders’ union is urging the government to listen “carefully” to the concerns of leaders in rural and small schools.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said that the government had “much work to do” to convince many school leaders and governors of the “merits” of a “fully trust-led” system.
“The DfE needs to listen particularly carefully to the concerns of leaders in rural and small schools and not just assume that there is a one-size-fits-all approach that will work for all schools”, he added.
‘Not all benefits are from proximity’
But Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, the sector body for academies, said that schools did not need to be near others in a chain to benefit from being part of a MAT.
Generally, there were no levers to “force” single trusts into multi-academy structures, she said.
But she added: “Not all the benefits of joining a trust are about physical proximity and the sharing of staff. There is an important argument about creating communities of practice. I accept that this is more difficult when a school is a long distance away from other schools, but it is not impossible.
“The concept of being part of a community of practice is as important - or perhaps even more important - for a rural school. We think the idea of inter-connectedness is a powerful concept - schools working together in deep and purposeful collaboration, even where they are not geographically close together”.
A DfE spokesperson said: “We are focused on helping all schools, including those in rural areas, into strong academy trusts, so they can get the trust’s support with teacher development, curriculum resources, financial planning, inclusivity towards children with additional needs, and help developing excellent behaviour and attendance cultures.
“Our regulatory review is considering how to commission new academy trusts and the expansion of existing trusts, helping make sure there are no ‘cold spots’ of the country where a school does not have an option to join a strong trust that is a good fit for its needs.
”We are also investing up to £86 million over the next three years to build the capacity of our strongest school-improving trusts and support them to work where they are needed most.”
