Academies

Delta trust merger given minister greenlight

Trust set to become second-biggest in England after receiving government go-ahead

Trust set to become second-biggest in England after receiving government go-ahead

5 Feb 2025, 13:59

More from this author

Merger plans that would create England’s second biggest MAT have been given the greenlight, after being referred to ministers to rule on.

Delta Academies Trust boss Paul Tarn took over Coast and Vale Learning Trust as chief executive in April, following an “in-principle agreement” between the organisations to formally join forces later.

The proposals – which will take Delta’s tally from 57 to 63 schools – were due to be decided on by the Department for Education’s Yorkshire and Humber advisory board in December.

But it was later revealed in Department for Education papers that the case had instead been escalated to government ministers, without any reason given for why this was done.  

Paul Tarn
Paul Tarn

And in a joint statement today, the trusts’ chairs, Steve Hodsman and John Riby, said: “Coast and Vale has embarked on a journey to deliver school improvement. This is the next step in our collaboration to deliver educational excellence.”

Regional directors have powers devolved from the education secretary to make important decisions such as ordering schools to convert to academies, taking action when schools are underperforming, and managing academy sponsors.

Along with the advisory boards of leaders who support them, they can choose to “escalate” a decision to a DfE minister, in circumstances where they don’t feel they can decide themselves.

Data obtained through Freedom of Information show this happened on just 12 occasions between August 2022 and March 2024. All but one of them – a trust merger plan – were later given the go-ahead.  

Latest education roles from

IT Technician

IT Technician

Harris Academy Morden

Teacher of Geography

Teacher of Geography

Harris Academy Orpington

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

Lecturer/Assessor in Electrical

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

Director of Management Information Systems (MIS)

South Gloucestershire and Stroud College

Exams Assistant

Exams Assistant

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult & Community College

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Lecturer Electrical Installation

Solihull College and University Centre

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

Dream Big Day: Empowering Every Pupil to Imagine, Create, and Flourish

In today’s rapidly evolving world, educators face an immense challenge: How do we inspire young people to envision ambitious...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Reframing digital skills for the workforce of tomorrow

No longer just for those with a passion for technology: why digital skills matter

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Safe to speak, ready to act: SaferSpace tackles harassment, misconduct and safeguarding concerns in schools 

In today’s education climate, where safeguarding, wellbeing and staff retention are under increasing scrutiny, the message is clear: schools...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Beyond exams: why ASDAN’s refreshed qualifications are key to real-world learner success

In today’s outcome-driven education landscape, it’s easy to overlook the quieter, yet equally vital, qualities that help learners truly...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

Academies

More schools miss out as ‘lottery’ repair grants fall again

Just 35 per cent of schools that applied for condition improvement funding get cash

Jack Dyson
Academies

Biggest-ever academy trust merger given minister greenlight

Catholic mega MAT set to become second biggest in England as bosses eye September launch

Jack Dyson
Academies

New 25-school MAT on cards as Compass and Eko plan merger

Average academy trust size now surpasses five schools as smaller trusts merge

Freddie Whittaker
Academies

How academy trusts are ‘caught in a trap’ on school reserves

Most trusts say money has been built up to fund construction projects or to shield from financial uncertainties

Jack Dyson

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *