This year’s fourth Chain Effects annual report has been released today. It looks at the exam results of disadvantaged pupils in multi-academy trusts (‘chains’) which have at least two sponsored academies (three for primary) and have operated the schools, continuously, since 2016. In total 48 multi-academy trusts counted in the sample. Outcomes were analysed by the authors, Merryn Hutchings and Becky Francis, across a variety of performance measures. The lists below are (1) how the chains did on Progress 8 for disadvantaged pupils, and (2) how well chains improved the Progress 8 score for disadvantaged pupils compared to the previous year. The full report has many other metrics in – and they are worth taking a look at. Here’s how the academy trusts shook out: On Progress 8 Chains performing against the mainstream average for disadvantaged pupils…. (Those in italics only had two schools included in the score) Well Above Average Aspirations City of London Diocese of London Harris Outwood Grange Above Average ARK Cambridge Meridian Co-operative Diocese of Oxford E-ACT Landau Forte Mercers Priory Skinners United Learning University of Brighton Average Academic Transformation Creative Education Dixons Emmanuel Haberdashers RSA Below Average AET Aldridge Brooke Weston Cabot CfBT David Mellor David Ross Diocese of Exeter Diverse Education Fellowship Grace Greenwood Learning Schools Leigh Merchant Venturers Northern Oasis Ormiston SPTA Swale TKAT Trust in Learning UCAT Woodard Well Below Average CWA (now Eastern Multi-Academy Trust) Midland On improvement in Progress 8 Well above Average Grace Outwood Grange Aspirations Academy Transformation Above Average Co-operative Cambridge Meridian Creative Education University of Brighton Skinners SPTA Priory RSA Diocese of Oxford CWA Brooke Weston Diverse Swale Harris Emmanuel Woodard Ormiston United Learning CfBT UCAT Average David Mellor David Ross Oasis Cabot TKAT Landau Forte Diocese of London Below Average AET Diocese of Exeter Haberdashers Aldridge City of London Midland E-ACT Mercers Dixons Trust in Learning Education Fellowship Northern Leigh ARK Learning Schools Greenwood Well Below Average Merchant Venturers – You can also read the full Schools Week news story and analysis here