We’ll support you in ensuring that your school or trust is managed effectively and operates safely and efficiently, and we’ll act as a safe sounding board.

Whether you’re a school looking to convert or a regional MAT planning rapid expansion, our support is there at every stage of the growth journey, and in any operational area.

Our Readiness to Grow model

Our extensive experience in supporting schools and academy trusts has led us to identify the 7 operational areas which must be optimised before a school, trust or MAT can deliver successful growth. Within each area are things like systems, teams, processes, governance, and much more. By getting each area into the best possible shape, you can prepare the ideal platform from which to launch your growth plans.

We’ve brought all this together into an audit and assessment model which we call Readiness to Grow. You can ask us for reviews in as many or as few of the 7 operational areas as you like. In each review, we’ll measure your operation against common challenges, and suggest known ways in which successful schools and trusts have overcome those challenges.

The DfE is soon to announce that it will drop 2 key areas in the ‘Opportunity for All’ White Paper:

• The 2030 target date for the academy conversion of all schools in England
• The ambition for local authorities to establish MATs.

Nevertheless, the academy programme remains a priority for the DfE.