MAT Growth: Finding the line between idealism and realism
You can all remember the scene in Oliver Twist where the little boy takes his bowl to the master in his cook’s uniform and simply says: “Please, sir, I want […]
MAT MOTs
Is 3 the magic number for MAT budgets?
They say three is a magic number, but the ESFA’s announcement that academy trusts must now provide three-year budget forecasts (instead of one-year) may not have left MATs feeling too […]
Battening down the hatches to avoid an icy blast from the ESFA
This winter has not just seen Britain hammered by The Beast from the East and the more delicately named Storm Emma, but a host of MATs have been hit by […]
ESFA joins Santa by producing their own “Naughty List”
“They’re making a list and checking it twice, Gonna find out who’s naughty and nice” These words have a little more meaning than ever this year as Eileen Milner, […]
What is governance?
I’ve never been a fan of the phrase ‘Critical Friend’. In my opinion, what a nonsensical phrase. When I first became a governor over 23 years ago, a wise man […]
What makes a successful MAT: Part 1
Every school, or group of schools, at the start of conversion considerations wonder what skill sets are required. By and large, there are 4 that RSC’s like. There is a […]
What makes a successful MAT part 2
Firstly, if you haven’t read Part 1 you can find that here. There are many things that make for a successful MAT but three things really underpin a successful MAT. […]
Education MATs v Business MATs
Nearly every school tells me they want a non-hierarchical, flat structure MAT than ‘being told what to do by people we don’t know’. For me, that discounts business MAT’s run […]