Three things to consider before merging or growing your school
Back in November 2021, we were pleased to sponsor the Convenziz online event, ‘The Road Ahead: Defining Growth Across the Education System’. The webinar brought together a number of key voices from the sector, offering guidance for the challenges that school and academy leaders might face when approaching growth in the 2021/2022 academic year.
Jeff Marshall is the managing director of J&G Marshall Limited and a longstanding educational advisor. His keynote speech asked the question, ‘What’s next for schools?’ as we approach 2022 - a year when all schools are expected to be part of a MAT.
He offered his view of the current landscape, sharing his opinion based on years of experience on the options that school leaders have if they’re looking to grow. Read on to see what three takeaways we can take from his talk:
Should all schools be in a Multi Academy Trust by 2022?
Everyone in education is eagerly awaiting the DfE’s next whitepaper, which Gavin Williamson pledged would set out a broader vision for the school system later this year.
Ahead of the ‘deadline’ in 2022, there was a growing trend of schools merging during the summer months. According to Jeff, as messaging moved from becoming a ‘Multi Academy Trust’ to a much softer ‘family of schools’, it began to seem much more appealing.
View our guide on how to successfully onboard new schools into your Multi-Academy Trust (MAT).
The change in language also underlined Jeff’s view of how MATs should approach the schools within them, moving forward together to create something that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
The education sector is currently at an important crossroads, so it’s critically important that school leaders start discussions now and have plans in place to ensure a stable future.
Three main options available to schools and trusts that are looking to grow:
Do nothing - but a have a plan B
If everything is going well, it’s natural to wonder if there’s any merit in making a change. Even so, it’s important to have a back-up plan in place. This way, if something does come along to disturb your school or trust, you’ll be able to control the outcome.
If you’re a maintained school, join a MAT
But always do your due diligence. When done properly, this is a much bigger process than simply one afternoon session. Know why you’re joining a certain MAT, and how you can support each other. Making the wrong decision can have a detrimental impact on teacher health and wellbeing, as well as pupil outcomes.
There is also the option to enter a ‘partnership agreement’, which essentially means ‘try before you buy’. Ultimately, you’ll still need to make the same decision once the year trial period is up, but you’ll be better-informed. So do your research now and take decisive action when you know the facts.
If you’re a maintained school, you could also create your own MAT
Or you could grow your trust. Always choose your partners wisely and keep communication open. Know that you’re entering into a partnership with the right people.
Make sure you plan your strategy for growth, whether that be rapid or incremental. Growing in a slower and more structured way gives schools the opportunity to really embed themselves in the MAT while also protecting their identity before looking to grow again.
The move to convert to an academy is exciting, although it’s important to remember that while academy status comes with more independence and freedom, there are also additional responsibilities that can burden school leaders. These burdens can often be seen in manual administration taks which can decrease employee morale, hence why choosing the right software to support your trust is so important. When it comes to top tips on choosing the right accounting software for your academy trust, Access Education have you covered.
Follow the link to listen to the full webinar featuring Jeff Marshall’s talk.
