Over the last two decades, the school system in England has evolved from a local authority (LA) led-system to a system in which today nearly half of all schools have been academised. As academisation has progressed, the Government has promoted the formation of multi-academy trusts (MATs).
In March 2022, the Schools White Paper set out the ambition for all schools to be in a ‘strong’ MAT with at least ten schools or 7,500 pupils by 2030 and outlined proposals to allow LAs to establish new MATs in areas where too few ‘strong’ trusts currently exist. Whilst the Schools Bill has now been dropped in its current form, the current Government appears to remain committed to pursuing the ambitions outlined in the White Paper.
This report provides insights into the current MAT landscape by investigating how the mainstream school system has evolved so far. It also considers the considerations and challenges in either pursuing an all-MAT system or in maintaining the current status quo and explores the role of LAs within the current school system and their views on the recent academisation policy proposals.
