Last year, the Government set out its ambition to rapidly transition to an all-multi-academy-trust (MAT) school system.
The 2022 Schools White Paper outlined proposals for all schools to be in a ‘strong’ MAT with at least 10 schools or 7,500 pupils by 2030 and to allow local authorities (LAs) to establish new MATs in areas where too few ‘strong’ trusts currently exist. While the Government has dropped the legislation intended to support the Schools White Paper targets, they remain committed to transitioning to an all-MAT system and the system is likely to become increasingly academised. In this article, we draw on evidence from our latest NFER report to explore LAs’ views of the plans.
LAs are largely ambivalent about transitioning to an all-MAT school system
In September last year, NFER conducted a survey of directors of children’s services in all LAs in England. This gathered new insights into LAs’ views on the Government’s White Paper academisation ambitions and proposals to allow LAs to establish new MATs, as well as the wider challenges they are currently facing in relation to education.
