Majority of recent academy converters felt positive impact
The Department for Education has published a research report with feedback from schools’ on joining a multi-academy trust. The research is based on interviews of 300 LA-maintained schools, 300 recent converters in MATs and 100 standalone academies in June and July this year.
The vast majority of recent converters (82% of primary schools and 74% of secondary schools) reported that the overall impact of joining a MAT had been positive. Most of these felt that the positive impact met or exceeded their expectations (92% of primary schools and 86% of secondaries).
Among recent converters, 4% of primary schools and 6% of secondary schools were negative about the overall impact of converting. Collaboration and sharing of skills were key themes in both reasons for joining a MAT and in improvements experienced in reality.
Most schools (60% of primary and 73% of secondary schools) said that increasing collaboration was a key reason for having joined a MAT and approaching nine in ten described this as a key or important reason. Sharing of skills was the improvement most widely
experienced by primary schools that had recently converted: around half (51%) reported significant improvements with regards to the sharing of skills. The next most common areas
where significant improvements were reported were staff training (43%) and the school’s sense of direction and purpose (29%). Among secondary schools, the most common significant areas of improvements were better sharing of skills and expertise (34%), an improved sense of direction and purpose (34%), and better quality of school governance (32%) and school leadership (30%).
Most experienced some negatives as a result of converting . Around four-in-ten (38%) primary schools and a quarter (23%) of secondary schools said there had been no negatives as a result of converting. For primary schools, difficulty adapting to new procedures and processes (19%), increased workloads (18%) and reduction in autonomy (16%) were the most common negatives. For secondary schools, the most common negatives were reduced autonomy (23%) and control over finances (18%).
Read moreLatest News
22/10/2025 - 14:06
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has launched a new £2.7 million programme to deliver indoor air quality filters to hundreds of schools across the capital.
22/10/2025 - 09:45
Outlined in the Skills White Paper, plans include proposals for new V-levels, a vocational alternative to A-levels and T-levels, as well as a “stepping stone” qualification for students resitting English and maths GCSEs.
21/10/2025 - 09:56
Free specialist training is being made available to teachers in Wales to give them the knowledge to understand and respond to the challenges faced by adopted and care experienced children.
20/10/2025 - 09:52
Members of the newly formed Youth Select Committee have launched a call for evidence as part of their inquiry into Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education in secondary schools.
20/10/2025 - 09:37
A new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) warns that the current system for registering children for Free School Meals (FSM) is failing to reach many of the most disadvantaged pupils.
