The key messages for multi-academy trusts from the CST Annual Conference

It was the first big gathering of school trust leaders since a change of government. The annual conference of the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) brought 1,500 trusts leaders, trustees and policy makers to Birmingham.

The previous government had wanted all schools to be part of large multi-academy trusts (MATs), though it backed down from enshrining that in law. The new government is less focused on how schools are organised but is bringing MATs under the Ofsted inspection regime. 

As leaders met over two days to discuss their own agenda and hear from the new Education Secretary, the following were some of the key messages for delegates to consider.   

CST Chief Executive Leora Cruddas told the conference that trusts had a “crucial role to play in shaping society”. 

She said around 62% of school pupils in England are educated in trusts, including 82% of secondary school pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. 

“Colleagues, the trust sector was born from a disruptive mindset,” she said.  

She added: “You have taken schools that have not been good in the history of state education and made them places where communities are proud to send their children. 

“You have done this because trusts are mission-led organisations.” 

She said groups of schools under a single governance structure are “our ‘best bet’ for building resilience and capacity in our school system”. 

“But we must retain the freedoms and flexibilities to be able to advance education. We must not be hamstrung, constrained or thwarted in this endeavour,” she added. 

2. The ‘vision’ should still be that all schools join trusts  

The Labour party signalled when it was still in opposition that it was more interested in outcomes than school structures.  

The CST’s Deputy Chief Executive, Steve Rollett, said: “You might wonder if the new government's structural agnosticism means we can no longer talk about a future where all schools are part of a trust. 

“But we must hold on to that vision. Not because of ideology. Not because of politics. But because of pragmatism. Pragmatism of the best sort. A pragmatism that is about getting things done – for children.” 

He reminded delegates that in some areas, before the arrival of academy trusts, “schools hadn’t known success for generations”. 

“It was trusts like yours that turned them around,” he said. 

He outlined a vision where “trusts stand as pillars of a society that values education, that invests in its young people, and that holds itself to the highest standards”. 

3. Services must be ‘planned and generously resourced’ 

The conference saw the publication of two important reports. One, Flourishing Together, is a joint project involving the CST, the Church of England and the Catholic Education Service.  

The organisations – which between them represent a large majority of English schools – call in the report for trusts to adopt 10 “seeds” to help adults and children flourish. 

Those seeds include deepening and broadening collective thinking on flourishing in education; eradicating child poverty; pursuing equity, diversity, inclusion and justice; deepening integration into communities; and giving priority to the voices of young people. 

When it comes to structures, Seed 7 is: “Planning and resourcing services around schools to support children and families”. 

The report says services around schools need to be “appropriately planned, generously resourced and effectively implemented by well-trained professionals”. 

It argues that “for the ecosystem to truly flourish for the long-term, we need to move together to choose wise long-term priorities, resource them appropriately, adapt them over the years to changes in conditions, but ultimately see those seeds grow roots that will enable this vision to endure”.  

4. It’s time to ‘move from compliance to strategy’ 

The other big document being published in time for the conference was the CST’s own Next-gen Governance report. 

The report includes a series of practical ideas for improving the way trusts are run. It urges trusts to move from a compliance mindset to one more focused on strategy. 

It also emphasises the need for a governance professional in each school. 

“Operating a charitable company requires trustees and executive leaders to navigate an ever-increasing number of legal, regulatory and financial requirements,” it says. 

“It is crucial, therefore, that they are well supported in this by a professional to provide accurate and timely advice and facilitate seamless governance practice,” it says. 

5. Bridget Phillipson ‘wants the best trusts to grow’    

This was Bridget Phillipson’s first big speech to school leaders as Education Secretary – and it came in the wake of some announcements that disappointed leaders in the trust sector. 

Days before the conference, the government confirmed the end of the Academy Conversion Support Grant, the Trust Capacity Fund (TCaF) and the Trust Establishment and Growth Fund.  

But the Education Secretary sought to assure trusts that the best of them had nothing to fear – and that they could still expand.  

“I want the best trusts to grow, including through schools who wish to convert where there is a strong case to do so,” she said.   

“But I know the current system incentivised some to adopt a competitive rather than a collaborative model, and others to avoid more challenging communities.”  

She said the government wanted “an approach rooted in partnership”, with the good practice of the best trusts becoming common. 

“I expect all schools, regardless of type, to support each other, to drive a self-improving system,” she added. 

“And I’m committed to introducing inspection across multi academy trusts.  To identify areas for improvement, yes of course. But to spot and spread excellence in all schools as a priority. It’s about partnership, and government is here in partnership with you.”  

Conclusion  

The Education Secretary’s speech was, inevitably, the element of the CST conference that attracted the most media attention. But this was not an event where attendees waited to be told what their future would look like.  

It was clear that the confederation already has a vision of trusts growing and developing to deliver ever-better outcomes for young people. And in the light of Bridget Phillipson’s speech, that can only mean MATs remaining at the heart of the education system.  

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