Traditionalist academy chain pulls out of “merger” with smaller trust after local outcry
Halifax, where Trinity MAT and Calderdale council are based. Image: Alamy.
Trinity Multi-Academy Trust will no longer join up with the Pennine Alliance Learning Trust, after concerns raised about a clash of culture including a local MP, a union and councillors, and with students seemingly poised to protest this week.
A traditionalist academy trust this morning dramatically pulled out of a controversial “merger” with a smaller chain following a multi-faceted campaign of opposition including a union, local councillors, a local Labour MP and seemingly even pupils at a high school.
Trinity Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 11 schools from its base in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, withdrew from what was seen by critics as a proposed takeover of the six-school Pennine Alliance Learning Trust (PALT), only days after launching into consultation on the idea.
The plans provoked such controversy that PALT’s chair also announced today that she is stepping down with immediate effect, while Trinity accused the local MP of “dishonesty” after he wrote to the government raising serious questions about the plans, and even criticised the leadership and what it what it said was a “toxic culture” of one of the schools it would have taken over.
Trinity MAT’s chief executive, Michael Gosling, is likely to be towards the top end of England’s high pay league for academy trust leaders this year, on £230-£240,000, its newly-published accounts show, even though the trust is outside the top 100 largest, in terms of pupil numbers.
Trinity, whose operations including on admissions and behaviour management have come under great scrutiny because of the row, is likely to point to its strong Ofsted record: five of its schools are rated “outstanding” by the inspectorate, with the remaining six being “good”.
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By Warwick Mansell for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 20 January 2026
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I am shocked but not surprised by this story and such events seem to be occurring weekly across the country. Many similar stories have been reported by Education Uncovered recently. Essentially it’s telling us education is broken and that all MATs operate in a dog eat dog world where financial rewards for the senior staff of MATs seem to be the main motivation. The leader of Trinity is not unique in being given excessive financial rewards and can now hide his obscene pay by a loop hole in the law which allows his pay not to be reported because he is no longer a trustee. Scandalous ! No wonder there is a crisis in funding in education when senior leaders are regularly paid more than the PM ! Well done to PALT for standing up for itself, however it’s a double edge sword as they will have to and are seeking another bigger MAT to merge with. At least they can choose a MAT that fits their ethos at the moment and can avoid a hostile take over. However as I know from bitter personal experience an ethos can change when a new CEO takes over. Finally how can Trinity get away with a selective admissions policy involving students being ask to take a test and if parents refuse they are effectively discriminated against. That perhaps is the most shocking fact in the whole piece. I get that it might not be illegal but surely it goes against the spirit of fairness and a what is supposed to be an inclusive system.