What are Multi-Academy Trusts? A vision for the future of schools 

Multi‑Academy Trusts (MATs) are becoming the defining structure of England’s state school system.

Introduced at the start of this century and supported by successive governments, academies now sit at the centre of education reform. More than a generation on, the challenge is no longer whether academies work — but how schools can collaborate, grow and improve at scale.

Multi‑Academy Trusts bring groups of academies together under a single legal and leadership structure, enabling them to share expertise, standardise systems, and plan strategically for the long term.

The Department for Education (DfE) has stated its ambition for all state‑funded schools to be part of a MAT by 2030, marking a decisive shift away from local authority control and towards trust‑led education.

What is a Multi‑Academy Trust? 

A Multi‑Academy Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee that oversees two or more academy schools.

While each school continues to operate on its own site, it is not a separate legal entity. Instead, schools within a MAT operate under a single trust, governed through a funding agreement with the Secretary of State for Education.

In practice, this means MATs:

• Hold responsibility for standards, finance and compliance
• Set strategic direction across all schools in the trust
• Enable collaboration across teaching, leadership and operations

This structure is designed to support school improvement, sustainability and growth — particularly as trusts expand in size and complexity.

Why have Multi‑Academy Trusts grown so quickly?

Academies are funded directly by the DfE, unlike maintained schools which remain under local authority oversight. As the academy model expanded, MATs emerged as the preferred mechanism for coordinating schools regionally and ensuring consistent standards.

Where a school is judged to be underperforming, conversion to academy status is often mandated. Likewise, most new state‑funded schools are now established as academies from the outset.

Government data has repeatedly pointed to improved inspection outcomes among sponsored academies, reinforcing the policy direction towards trust‑based education.

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The benefits of a Multi‑Academy Trust model

Well‑run MATs offer several structural advantages:

• A formal framework for sharing best practice
• Greater opportunities for staff development and retention
• Access to specialist roles across multiple schools
• Economies of scale across finance, IT and operations
• Stronger use of data to support trust‑wide decision‑making

As trusts grow, the ability to see and act on real‑time data across schools becomes critical — particularly when managing performance, intervention and compliance.

How are Multi‑Academy Trusts governed?

All schools within a MAT have academy status, whether they joined through:

• Sponsorship (typically following intervention)
• Conversion (by choice)
• Collaborative arrangements (less common)

At the top of a MAT are its members, often compared to shareholders. Members appoint and hold to account the board of trustees, who are legally responsible for:

• Educational standards
• Financial management
• Compliance with charity and company law

Trustees may delegate certain responsibilities, but accountability always sits with the board.

What happened to school governors?

In maintained schools, governors played a central role in decision‑making. In MATs, this function largely moves to trustees.

Some trusts retain local governing bodies (also called academy committees). These groups:

• Monitor performance and standards locally
• Provide scrutiny and feedback to trustees
• Do not approve budgets or strategy

Their role is advisory rather than executive, supporting transparency without fragmenting accountability.

Joining or growing a Multi‑Academy Trust

The DfE has indicated that sustainable MATs typically serve at least 7,500 pupils or a minimum of 10 schools, though size alone does not guarantee effectiveness.

As a result:

• Standalone schools are increasingly joining established trusts
• Smaller trusts may merge or consolidate
• Many schools explore time‑limited trust partnerships before committing

These partnerships allow schools and trusts to test collaboration, share practice and build confidence ahead of formal integration. 

As MATs grow, leadership teams face increasing pressure to:

• Demonstrate impact across the trust
• Standardise systems without losing local flexibility
• Make faster, evidence‑based decisions

Having a single source of trust‑wide data plays a growing role in enabling sustainable growth.

Simon Freeman

Managing Director for Education

Simon Freeman is Managing Director for Education at IRIS, where he leads the strategic evolution of the organisation’s education portfolio. He is responsible for leading the team to deliver innovative, technology‑led solutions that support schools, multi‑academy trusts and independent institutions worldwide to be more effective, and improve student outcomes.

Driven by a strong commitment to improving outcomes in education, Simon brings extensive senior leadership experience from large‑scale technology and services organisations.

Simon is focused on positioning IRIS as the partner of choice for institutions navigating increasing operational, financial and regulatory complexity.