“Join our MAT and your budget will improve.” Really?

Does joining a multi-academy trust really translate to an improvement in a school’s budget, compared to what it had when operating under the auspices of its local authority?

The question has presented itself in relation to one school I wrote about recently, which is shrugging off the pandemic to embark on a “consultation” about joining a local multi-academy trust – though parents have been told about their school’s “decision” as if it has already been taken.

As I wrote last month, the Charter Schools Educational Trust in Southwark, south London, is planning to expand its number of primary schools four-fold, by taking on a local authority primary – Lyndhurst in Camberwell – alongside two primaries also near its base in Dulwich which are already in their own two-school academy trust.

This is to add to the Charter trust’s single existing primary school and two secondaries. The primary school, Charles Dickens near London Bridge, joined Charter only four months ago.

The moves were revealed to parents at the three primary schools which stand to join Charter in the last week before half-term.