DfE extends academy trust capacity fund to rural maintained schools
Rural local authority-maintained schools will be given access to government expansion funding for the first time next year to encourage them to academise and form new chains.
The Department for Education has added a fifth “strand” to its trust capacity fund, which launched last year. However, the amount of funding on offer – £17 million – has not increased.
The fund will continue to be used to support existing academy trusts to “grow and innovate”, to accelerate the development of mid-sized trusts and to support mergers between trusts.
But now the money will also be available to support ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ local authority-maintained schools in rural hamlets and villages to “collaborate and create new, strong multi-academy trusts”. Successful applicants in this category will receive between £50,000 and £100,000.