by Neil Smith, ASCL Independent Sector Specialist 

There was a time when a Labour government saw independent schools as central to delivering its education strategy. Seeking to expand the academies programme launched by the then Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, Schools Minister Andrew Adonis spoke at the HMC Annual Conference in October 2007 and invited its members to open or sponsor a new academy. In addition, independent schools, alongside high-performing maintained schools, were invited to become academies themselves, a process which later became more formalised under the Coalition’s 2010 Academies Act. 

The initial impetus for independent schools to sponsor or open academies, or indeed convert into either academies or free schools, was comparatively short-lived as only 27 mainstream independent schools converted to academies or free schools with the last one converting in 2016.

However, could a renewed drive for independent schools to participate in the academy system, albeit by joining multi-academy trusts rather than sponsoring academies or converting, deliver benefits both for independent schools and the education system at large?

Close partnerships
Examples of MATs which already include independent schools amongst their schools (but enclosed within a separate sub-trust to prevent government funds being used to cross subsidise independent schools) include United Learning, which have 14 independent schools, and the Girls’ Day Schools Trust which have 25 fee-paying schools and two state-funded academies. Several independent schools also enjoy close partnerships with MATS or academies, either by sponsoring them or working closely with them.

For some leaders and governors in independent schools, the impetus to join a MAT may primarily be to reduce costs, alongside receiving the executive support membership of a larger organisation brings. However, perhaps the more fundamental question which should be asked is if being part of groups of schools is good for state schools, why shouldn’t it also be good for independent schools? Effective executive challenge and support, shared approaches to teaching and learning, sharing of expertise, and professional development opportunities are just some of the benefits staff working in MATs have identified, whilst the sustainability argument is arguably as applicable for independent schools as it is for state schools, given the financial pressures seen in the state system. Most importantly, the main beneficiaries of joining MATs appear to be the children the schools exist to serve.

Significant benefits
Even so, if the case for independent schools seeking to join a MAT appears credible, why should a new or existing MAT seek to incorporate an independent school? Although many MATs have developed effective approaches to enrichment, this is certainly an area in which independent schools can support through the many years of experience and access to facilities. In addition, augmenting their existing trust level networks of leaders with leaders with different experiences and approaches could add significant benefit to the thinking of trusts, as could leaning into successes in recruiting and developing specialist teachers in shortage subject areas teacher recruitment. Furthermore, help with building an engaged alumni network, an area in which independent schools invariably excel, is highly likely to produce tangible benefits for students irrespective of type of school they are studying at.

Potential drawbacks
However, there are also potential drawbacks to independent schools joining MATs. Firstly, the route to joining a MAT does not appear straightforward at this moment in time. At the very least, an independent school would need to be categorised as separate to the state schools within a MAT to prevent state allocated funds being used by the independent school. Collaboration between state and independent schools within MATs has not always produced hoped-for benefits, and in some cases, the independent schools have not always felt they have benefited from theoretical opportunities to collaborate with their state counterparts. Some governors may even have strong concerns over the loss of independence which joining a MAT might bring.

Although progressing to join a MAT may seem too extreme a move at this point for school and college leaders and governors in the independent sector, the benefits of working within a group of schools already seems apparent to those which have already merged in recent years. Furthermore, if independent schools are to be sustainable and thrive in the medium to long term, and to offer the best possible education to their pupils, existing in splendid isolation may well prove to be a misplaced ideal. Much still needs to be done to create a workable and impactful template for the future integration of fee-paying schools into MATs, but it is certainly an option which leaders and their boards should be evaluating as part of their long-term sustainability planning.