A 21-school academy trust’s bid to almost double in size has been knocked back amid government concerns over its rate of growth.
Nineteen applications for schools to join the Embark Federation, in Derbyshire, had been lodged with the Department for Education between June 2022 and last September.
All of the proposals went before the DfE’s East Midlands advisory board last month – with just six given the green light.
Minutes for the meeting, published this week, said: “To ensure a manageable rate of growth… 13 applications are declined at this time.
“Future applications to join Embark… will be considered by the department after a period of consolidation of at least 12 months.”
The minutes noted that the MAT has developed a membership model only available to schools wishing to join it.
To manage its “large pipeline”, prospective academies “were prioritised on the basis of a range of factors”, like the trust’s capacity, the position of the schools and the “strategic needs of the area”.
The six schools allowed to move into Embark are rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ in all areas in their latest Ofsted inspections. They should also “add improvement capacity to the trust”.
The DfE will offer those schools whose applications were rejected “the opportunity for a conversation about next steps”.
One MAT CEO, who asked not to be named, argued that “it would be a huge challenge to successfully engage 19 new schools simultaneously” as each one is “unique”.
Such growth “would beg the question as to whether this is in the best interests of children and their local communities”, they added.
Embark CEO Matt Crawford said he had received “significant interest” from schools to join his trust which has resulted in “a high volume of applications”.
The trust will “work closely with those that were unsuccessful this time through our membership offer until a time when they will be able to officially join us in the future”.
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