What is a MAT?

A Single or Multi-Academy Trust is an education charity that has responsibility for running and maintaining schools. 

Academies are schools that receive funding from central government, but are independent from local council control. Academy Trusts can not be run for profit. Academy Trusts are governed by a Board of Trustees which must comply with strict charity, education and company laws and regulations.

Schools in an Academy Trust can access a number of benefits that are not generally available to local authority maintained schools. Schools in a Multi-Academy Trust have access to a built-in community of like-minded people who can provide expertise and skills to support the running of the school. Schools in a Multi-Academy Trust have the ability to share staff, resources, best practice, and knowledge with the aim of working together to acheive the best outcomes for children. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of joining an Academy Trust?

Being part of a collaborative community will give your school access to a range of expertise and skills across a range of specialisms - from school improvement support to financial management, HR, and premises and bulidings support. Being part of a Multi-Academy Trust also achieves economies of scale which drives procurement and running costs down to a level that may not be acheivable for a single. local authority maintained school.  

Does the Academy Trust have a one-size fits all model?

At Owlcotes Trust, we strongly believe that schools and their leaders should retain their individual identity, as this reflects and meets the needs of the communities they serve. We would not insitute any major changes immediately on a school joining with us. We would work closely with the school to understand their identity and unqiue strengths. 

How does the curriculum and assessments work in a MAT school?

Academy Trust schools do not have to follow the national curriculum and have more autonomy than local authority maintained schools to set their own teaching and learning. At Owlcotes, our schools follow the national curriculum and teaching and learning is always given a high priority. Alongside that, we have developed the Owlcotes Elements curriculum in-house through collaboration from senior leaders, National Leaders of Education, and class teachers with vast experience in primary education. The Owlcotes Elements curriculum supplements the teaching and learning in the national curriculum with high-quality content that aims to inspire innovation, creativity, ambition, and a love of learning within all children. Children are still taught about the content laid out by the Department for Education and national exam boards, and children at Owlcotes schools sit the same national exams as local authority maintained schools.

Do MAT schools receive Ofsted inspections?

All schools which are part of an Academy Trust must meet the standards and regulations set by the Department for Education. Academies are subject to Ofsted inspections and are judged under the same criteria as local authority maintained schools. 

How do schools join an Academy Trust?

There are multiple ways a school can join an Academy Trust:

• Converter - This is often a formley local authority maintained school that chose to become academies.
• Sponsored - This is where a school or existing academy is identified as being in need of support, and/or judged ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted, who are directed to become an academy with a chosen MAT by the Department for Education.
• Free schools - This is when brand new schools are established to meet a need for school places in a particular area.