MATs | Schools Week

Harris Federation boss’s salary reaches £420,000 after latest pay rise

The country’s best-paid academy boss has been handed another pay rise – boosting his salary to at least £420,000. It marks another salary increase for Sir Dan Moynihan, chief executive of the Harris Federation, who was paid at least £395,000 in 2015. New annual accounts published by Harris, which runs 41 schools, show another seven […]

Multi-academy trusts spend less on ‘back office’ but don’t pay teachers more … and 6 other EPI findings

Schools in multi-academy trusts spend less on “back office” costs and more on primary teaching staff, compared to standalone academies and local authority schools. Primary schools in multi-academy trusts spend £23 more on teaching staff per pupil than local authority schools, according to a new report from the Education Policy Institute. And secondary schools in MATs spend […]

Governor’s review 2016: Where does power really lie in multi-academy trusts?

This year has brought some much-needed clarity to the issue of multi-academy trust governance, says Naureen Khalid, as well as some more predictable back-and-forth on parent governors, governor pay and mandatory training. This was the year when one of the multi-academy trusts, E-Act, took the step of renaming its local governing bodies (LGBs) somewhat more […]

Academy trusts told to avoid isolated academies

The government has issued its firmest statement yet that trusts should avoid running geographically isolated schools, raising serious questions over who will operate the far-flung academies that nobody wants. The first “good practice guide” for multi-academy trusts (MATs) was published last week, revealing what conditions trusts must meet to expand. The guidance also revealed that […]

Newham schools consider suing council over £500k PFI costs

Two schools are considering high court action to settle a row with their local authority over a disputed PFI bill they claim has stalled their academy conversion. Rokeby School and Lister Community School, in the London borough of Newham, want to convert and form a multi-academy trust, with plans to take over the Newham Collegiate […]

Carter: £140m funding pot shows shift from ‘mass conversion to mass improvement’

Sir David Carter, the national schools commissioner, has said the new £140 million strategic school improvement fund proves the government’s intentions have shifted from “mass conversion to mass improvement”. The Department for Education announced the pot of funding on Wednesday, which Carter explained today will go towards four targeted issues. Carter said the cash aims to create “less patchy” […]

Try before you buy: the new way for multi-academy trusts to takeover schools

Academy trusts are taking struggling schools on loan for a year as part of a “try before you buy” scheme. Multi-academy trusts (MATs) are being signed up on short-term deals to provide leadership support for schools enduring turbulent times, allowing both parties to scope each other out before a possible takeover. Speaking at the National […]

What schools need to know about the apprenticeship levy

Don’t think that the new levy is all about big business, warns John Deaville. All schools, regardless of size, will feel its impact. Most people are – at least vaguely – aware that the apprenticeship levy, which will be introduced in April 2017, is a payroll tax to fund apprenticeship training, paid by any organisation […]

More business managers need to train for future senior roles

More school business managers must “aspire” to become senior executives as the rise in multi-academy trusts – and damaging financial scandals – require greater scrutiny of school accounts, says Stephen Morales, chief executive of the National Association of School Business Management (NASBM). Morales (pictured) told Schools Week at the association’s annual conference in Birmingham this […]