A first look into plans for North East schools to join or merge Trusts
Earlier this year, the government published its Schools White Paper, setting out plans for all schools to be in a ‘strong’ multi-academy trust by 2030, defining a strong trust as having 10 schools or 7500 pupils.
Currently, there is no clear picture across the region of how North East trusts are responding to these proposals. Last week, Schools North East sent out a survey to trust school leaders across our region, to create a picture of what is happening, looking at whether or not trusts plan to expand or merge, how willing they are to do this, and the reasons for doing or not doing so.
The responses to our survey represent over 200 North East academies, including both single academy trusts and multi-academy trusts.
Trust expansion plans
Just under half of trusts said they are planning to expand, with just under a quarter saying they are planning a trust merger as opposed to adding individual new schools. 12% said they were not planning any trust expansion. Almost all trusts that aren’t planning or are undecided on a trust expansion or merger currently have fewer than 10 schools.
Of those planning a trust expansion or merger, three quarters said that this was the result of a longer term strategic plan to do so. 14% said that pressure from the government’s academisation programme was a factor, and 21% said that if they didn’t expand they would be running the risk of being forced to merge with another trust as a junior partner.
Just over three quarters of trusts that are expanding said that this will take place in the next two years (36% said it would take less than a year, 41% in 1-2 years). No trust said it would take more than five years.
There was a wide range of the number of schools trusts are taking on, from one school to nine. 70% of trusts said that the expansion was taking place within their main local authority area, and 65% said that expansion was taking place outside their local authority but within the North East. Only one trust was expanding outside of our region.
Of those not expanding, over two thirds said they had difficulty in finding suitable partners, and half said that it isn’t currently strategically sensible to do so. For those not merging with another trust, 44% said they worried about the loss of autonomy, and another 44% said that it isn’t currently strategically sensible to do so. A third of respondents said they had difficulty in finding suitable partners.
Strong academy trusts
In regard to what is perceived as the current ‘official’ definition of a ‘strong’ academy trust, three quarters of schools disagreed with the definition of a ‘strong’ trust as containing 10 schools or 7,500 pupils. While some responses said that larger trusts can bring benefits, especially in terms of finance, there was widespread agreement that size alone couldn’t measure the strength of a trust.
In terms of what makes a ‘strong’ trust, responses focussed on ethos, leadership, school improvement, support for vulnerable and disadvantaged students, and collaboration between schools.
Additionally, responses discussed the role trusts play in communities. Developing a strong trust requires an understanding of the different contexts schools work in, whether it be schools in rural areas, areas with high levels of disadvantage, or the challenges faced by special schools and alternative provision. Responses also stated that trusts should have strong roots in the local communities they work in.
Wider concerns were also raised in the survey. Smaller trusts mentioned concerns around the loss of autonomy, which may ultimately impact the ethos and identity of individual schools. Some responses questioned the evidence that larger trusts were necessarily stronger than smaller trusts
Concerns regarding the White Paper plans
A particular concern was a perceived lack of a coordinated approach to academisation, with respondents stating that greater clarity was needed on the relationship between trusts and local authorities. Trusts were concerned that the lack of a clear picture of the future education landscape was leaving maintained schools and smaller trusts without adequate support. Just over half of responses wanted to see more support from the government, particularly to ensure schools can find the best ‘fit’ re moving into an academy trust.
As the new government develops its plans on the education landscape, Schools North East will continue to lobby on behalf of North East schools. We plan to send out a survey asking similar questions to maintained schools, to understand how the academisation programme is affecting them.
We also have two upcoming events to help schools navigate the new environment which has been laid out in the education White Paper. These are free for schools.
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