Mergers, MATs, and Moving Parts: Navigating System Change in Growing Trusts
As the landscape of multi-academy trusts (MATs) continues to shift, one trend is becoming increasingly clear: consolidation. Where we once saw small, standalone trusts of six or seven schools, we’re now seeing a growing number of larger organisations, often the result of two or more smaller MATs merging. These new, larger trusts, some now managing 15 or more schools, are reshaping the way improvement, performance, and systems are managed across education.
When two or more trusts merge, one of the first things that needs to happen is alignment. Systems need to talk to each other. Processes need to be consistent. Leadership needs oversight across all schools. It’s often more efficient, and certainly more manageable, for the new, larger trust to adopt a single set of tools and practices.
However, this often means that some schools have to change the way they work. They might lose systems they’re used to, shift to unfamiliar processes, or adopt a new platform altogether. While standardisation brings clarity and cohesion at the trust level, it can cause friction and disruption at the school level.
Behind every change in system or process are people, teachers, middle leaders, support staff, and SLT, who must adapt quickly, often with minimal time for training or transition. Even when the new system is objectively better, it takes time to learn, to embed, and to trust.
What’s more, schools that had developed successful internal practices may feel like they’re being forced to start over. There’s a risk of losing local solutions that worked well for particular contexts.
The challenge for larger MATs is to balance centralised oversight with school-level flexibility. It’s not enough to simply impose a single system from the top down. The best outcomes come when trusts:
Roll out changes in phases
Offer robust training and support
Listen to feedback from schools
Choose systems that scale without sacrificing individuality
SchooliP is designed to grow with your trust. It offers trust-wide visibility while giving each school the ability to tailor its approach. Whether it’s strategic planning, appraisal, CPD, or QA, SchooliP keeps everything connected, and keeps school improvement on track.
Centralised reporting for MAT leaders
Flexible configurations at the school level
Consistent processes that don’t feel forced
One login, one platform, for everything from training to development planning
As more trusts expand and consolidate, systems like SchooliP make it possible to bring everyone together without losing what made each school effective in the first place.
Trust mergers and growth are here to stay. The challenge isn’t whether to consolidate, it’s how to do it in a way that supports people, protects progress, and delivers improvement.
If your trust is growing and you're thinking about the systems that will support your next stage, we're here to help.
