Multi academy or umbrella trust? Considerations for the governing body

Deciding to convert to an academy is not an easy decision, but harder still is the question of the appropriate governance structure. Is it better to convert as a single academy or to join with other schools in an academy chain? Of course, it is always possible to work with like-minded schools in a collaborative partnership which involves no formal legal relationship.

The first converter academies became single academies. Needless to say, these schools were generally large schools, often secondary, rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted; they had the skills and resources to survive alone.

However, there has been a huge increase in the numbers of schools entering into academy chains which are able to provide wide-ranging support and expertise. These can be either multi academy trusts (MAT) or umbrella trusts (UT). But what is the difference and how does a governing body decide what is the most appropriate form for their school?

MATs

In a MAT a number of schools join together and form a single legal entity accountable for all schools in the MAT. The decision-making body of the MAT is the central Board of Directors and any local governing bodies in individual schools are akin to a committee. There is one set of Articles which governs all the academies in that Trust. The MAT has a Master Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State and each academy also has a Supplemental Funding Agreement. Each of the academies in the MAT has its own governing body or advisory body which deals with local issues.

MATs can take many formats ranging from the genuinely collaborative to a sponsorship model where the individual schools are effectively ‘taken over’ by the MAT. It is this latter form of chain which attracts a great deal of negative publicity as they hover over schools and sweep them up to transform them into ‘Stepford’ schools in their own image. Naturally, the picture is much more complex and there are many genuinely supportive chains and examples of a truly collective approach. Schools which do not have an ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’ Ofsted grading may be unable to show an ability to support school improvement and may need to join a sponsored academy.

UTs

A UT is a half-way house between a single academy and a MAT. A group of schools is linked together under an academy trust which spans all of them, but each school is an academy in their own right.

How to choose?

The governance structure appropriate will differ from school to school and their own circumstances. The governing body should consider:

• Does our school have a ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating from the most recent report?
• Do we have the business and finance expertise and resources necessary to convert alone?
• Do we have the capacity for long-term school improvement and ability to raise standards further?
• How strong is our current partnership model? Is there scope for collaborative working?
• Do we want involvement in overall strategic control or would we prefer to focus on provision of teaching and learning within a defined structure?
• Is there a particular chain that we would want to join? Or any we wish to avoid?
• How important is it to us to remain legally independent?
• What skills/expertise/resources could we provide in a wider collaborative structure?
• If we are a faith school, what is the policy of our Diocese/overseeing body?
• What is our ideal scenario?