Around this time last year, we published a post about the size of multi-academy trusts (MATs). And given that there’s been some pressure on schools and smaller MATs to join larger trusts, we thought it might be worth revisiting the topic to see how things have changed over the last year.
First a look at how many schools are currently part of a MAT. The chart below shows how all schools – including all phases, special schools and PRUs – break down in terms of MAT membership.
In the latest data, 46.4% of schools are academies, up from 44.7% a year ago. However, 1,251 of these are single academy trusts – and therefore not part of a MAT.[1]
40.7% of schools are currently part of a MAT, up from 38.6% last year. This translates to 466 more schools in MATs than this time last year.
But while the number of schools in MATs is on the increase, the number of active MATs has actually fallen. In the latest data, there are 1,188 active MATs, compared to 1,197 this time last year.[2]
