About the book

The debate around autonomy vs. alignment for schools in Trusts has been animated over the past few years, with some MATs giving their schools independence over their policies and others preferring a more centralised approach. 

If we accept that Trusts will always differ on how centralised to be, perhaps the more interesting question becomes: how do you create a Trust which works really well together as one organisation, regardless of where you sit on that scale? We wanted to explore how MAT leaders bring their schools together into one, shared culture to make sure that each of their schools benefit from being in a Trust. 

To get a sense of the national picture, in February 2022 we surveyed 164 Trust leaders from around the country. 94% of respondents agreed it’s important all schools in a MAT feel part of the same culture. But nearly 1 in 5 respondents said that their Trust did not have one cohesive culture which all schools feel part of. 

In this book, we explore the results of our survey to understand how MAT leaders are creating a sense of belonging in a post-Covid world. You will also hear from five MAT leaders from around the country, who have each written a piece on what culture means in their Trust, and how they are bringing this to life. 

Inside you'll find pieces by a variety of MAT leaders: