What Is an Academy?
An academy is a state-funded school in England that is directly funded by the Department for Education rather than through the local authority. Academies operate with greater freedoms than local authority-maintained schools, including:
- Setting their own curriculum (they don't have to follow the national curriculum, though most do in practice)
- Setting their own term dates
- Setting their own pay and conditions for staff
- Greater control over their budget
- Setting their own admissions criteria (within the admissions code)
Types of Academy
Converter academies
Schools that voluntarily converted from local authority control, usually already rated Good or Outstanding. This is the most common type.
Sponsored academies
Schools that were underperforming and were required to become academies, with an experienced sponsor (a trust) taking over their management.
Free schools
Brand-new schools set up by academy trusts, parent groups, or other organisations. They're technically a type of academy.
What Is a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT)?
A Multi-Academy Trust is a single organisation that runs more than one academy. MATs vary enormously in size:
- Small MATs — 2-5 schools, often in the same local area
- Medium MATs — 6-20 schools, often in a region
- Large MATs — 20+ schools, sometimes nationwide (e.g. Harris Federation, Ark, Oasis)
How MATs work
The trust acts as the overarching governance structure. It typically provides:
- Central leadership (CEO, CFO, education directors)
- Shared services (HR, finance, IT, procurement)
- School improvement (sharing best practice between schools, supporting struggling schools)
- Quality assurance (monitoring standards across the trust)
Each school within the trust usually has a local governing body (or local advisory board) that provides school-level governance, but the ultimate accountability lies with the trust board.
What Does It Mean for Parents?
Potential advantages:
- Economies of scale — trusts can negotiate better deals on supplies, services, and training
- School improvement support — struggling schools can be supported by stronger ones in the trust
- Shared expertise — specialist staff (e.g. SEND, curriculum) can work across schools
- Career development — staff can progress within the trust without leaving
- Investment — trusts can direct resources where they're most needed
Potential concerns:
- Loss of local identity — some parents feel schools lose their individual character within a large trust
- Centralised decision-making — important decisions may be made at trust level rather than locally
- Staff terms — trusts can set their own pay and conditions, which has implications for recruitment
- Accountability — it can be unclear who to approach with concerns (local head or trust leadership?)
- Financial transparency — trust finances are more complex and harder to scrutinise
How to Find Out About Your School's Trust
On the What School, each school profile shows:
- Whether it's an academy
- Which trust it belongs to
- Key trust information
You can also:
- Check Get Information About Schools (GIAS) — the official DfE database
- Visit the trust's own website for financial statements, governance structure, and policies
- Read the trust's annual report and accounts (available on the Charity Commission website)
What If My School Is Joining a Trust?
If your school is being academised (converting to academy status or joining a trust), you should expect:
- Consultation — the school should consult parents, though this consultation isn't binding
- Minimal disruption — in most cases, day-to-day school life continues largely unchanged
- Leadership changes — sometimes the head teacher changes, though usually there's continuity
- Uniform changes — some trusts standardise uniform (though this isn't always the case)
Useful Resources
- DfE academies information
- Get Information About Schools
- Schools Financial Benchmarking
- Check your school's trust on the What School
Whether your child attends an academy or an LA school, the quality of education depends far more on the people inside the building — the teachers, leaders, and support staff — than on the governance structure. Focus on what matters: is your child happy, safe, and learning?