Joining a MAT: questions a school leader should ask

Does your visi​on align the MAT?

Just as all schools have a vision, so do MATs. Is the vision in line with that of your school?

In many ways this is the same type of question you would have asked when you were appointed to your leadership role. Did the school vision match your own as a leader? A very simplistic example is if your school is firmly committed to a very pupil centred approach, a MAT with a reputation for rigid systems and discipline may not be right for your school.

If you find the vision difficult to interpret, look at the aims and objectives of the MAT and compare them with your own. Do they feel complimentary or are they quite different?

Talk to other school leaders in the trust and ask them how the trust’s vision, aims and objectives impact them on a daily and annual basis.

Do you understand the scheme of d​elegation?

The scheme of delegation clearly lays out who is responsible for what, helping to define accountability lines within the trust.

When you join a MAT, your own governing body will become subservient to the trust. You need to be very clear on the governance structure of the MAT.

If forming a MAT with one other school, there will be discussion as to how many governors from each school sit on the board. If you are joining a well-established MAT, there will be an existing trust board and the larger the MAT the less likely that any of your current governors will join this group initially.

The board will delegate tasks so you also need to look at the local governing body arrangements; there may be one body across two or more academies. Some MATs operate systems of earnt autonomy, so those schools which are graded as outstanding will have independence at governor level.

Are there any geographical challenges?

If you are working with one other school, it is much easier if you are within a very short distance of each other. This allows you to share staff and common opportunities for pupils without the need for complicated travel or timetabling arrangements.

If you are joining a larger MAT, this becomes simpler if there are local academies that you can work with. How close are you to the MATs administrative centre? If meetings are held there, this becomes more challenging with a two-hour drive.

Larger MATs may have a regional structure which can help with such issues. In a MAT it is beneficial to be at centre of things so that you make the best use of the support available.

How will the school retain its identity in the MAT?

Like any relationship there will be compromises and only you know what you will and will not compromise on. Joining a MAT is not a one-way street, you should both have your own questions and due diligence processes. Just as the MAT will undertake checks to ensure you are able to join its group, as should you determine whether joining the MAT will add value to your school.

Some MATs may expect complete consistency: from the same uniforms for all pupils to quality assurance processes and agreed schemes of work in key subject areas.

In other MATs schools retain autonomy over the curriculum and keep their own school name, logo and motto. As mentioned, look at whether the vision, values and ethos of the MAT match your own.

What back office support does the​ MAT provide?

These may be services that you would have bought into from the LA such as HR or governance.

There may be a pooling of services such as a common finance or estates team, ICT strategy or catering. Small MATs may not benefit from great savings or much additional expertise.

You may feel that large MATs offer services which are more helpful than those from an LA because they are more specialist and not spread over such a disparate group of schools.

How will budgets work in the MAT?

The MAT chooses whether to take a top slice of individual school budgets to fund central costs or to pool funds and allocate to schools. The amount top-sliced can change, for example it can increase if a MAT is struggling to balance central costs.

General annual grant (GAG) pooling allows MATs to offer more financial support to schools who may need it, as long individual schools are on board with this way of allocating funds and widen their thinking from looking after pupils in their own school to all those across the MAT.

The MAT chooses whether to take a top slice of individual school budgets to fund central costs or to pool funds and allocate to schools. The amount top-sliced can change, for example it can increase if a MAT is struggling to balance central costs.

General annual grant (GAG) pooling allows MATs to offer more financial support to schools who may need it, as long individual schools are on board with this way of allocating funds and widen their thinking from looking after pupils in their own school to all those across the MAT.

What measures will be introduced by the MAT as part of TUPE?

When you join a MAT, the MAT becomes your new employer. The Transfer of Undertakings Protection and Employment (TUPE) regulations ensure that staff working in the school automatically transfer to the new employer and remain on the existing terms and condition of their contract.

After the TUPE transfer, your new employer may choose to 'harmonise' your terms and conditions (change them so you have the same as other employees already part of the MAT). They can only do this if it improves your terms and conditions and not make them worse.

MATs can propose changes to contracts on areas like working hours, the place of work, holiday entitlement etc so you need to be prepared for a period of change and how staff will cope with that.

Whatever MAT you choose to join, the aim should be one of collaboration, not competition. The life chances of young people should be enhanced by being part of the MAT and the vision and values have the interests and wellbeing of pupils and staff at heart.

Written, reviewed and updated by Paul Ainsworth, Lee Miller and Lisa Griffin.