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Here are the key regional board decisions affecting multi-academy trusts (MATs) in each region in England in December 2024. For more updates, visit our regional advisory boards hub.

Some 120 decisions were approved, including 44 conversions, 17 academies that changed trusts and 12 single-academy trusts (SATs) that joined MATs.

Scroll down or click the links below to jump straight to your region.

• North East
• North West
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• East Midlands
• West Midlands
• East of England
• London
• South West
• South East

North East

• Eight schools have been approved to convert to academy status and join the Pele Trust’s existing eight schools. The new schools are Swansfield Park Primary School, Longhoughton CE Primary, Embleton Vincent Edwards CE Primary, Seahouses Primary, Shilbottle Primary, Branton Community Primary, Ellingham CE Primary, which are all in Northumberland, and George Stephenson High School in North Tyneside. The board was advised that seven of the schools have previously worked together within the Alnwick Partnership. The schools have already been collaborating with Pele Trust.
• Two primary school academies in the region have been given approval to make a significant change by changing the age range of their schools and adding a nursery. The Department for Education’s regional director has approved this for both Skerne Park Academy in Darlington and St Cuthbert’s Catholic Primary in County Durham, which is run by the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust (47 schools).

North West

• At , the North West advisory board deferred two trust change decisions. Smithills School, a secondary in Bolton, requested to join the Bolton Impact Trust, which currently has three alternative provisions and one special school in the area. Smithills is currently the only school in the Bolton Multi Academy Trust. Deferring the decision, the board said when it is approved, it will be on the condition that a school resource management adviser (SRMA) is deployed. The board also asked for more clarity from the trust on a reset of its governance model.
• A request from Marlfields Primary School in Cheshire to transfer from Congleton Primary Academy Trust Limited to Children First Learning Partnership Trust was also deferred. Marlfields is the only school in its trust currently. The Children First Learning Partnership Trust has six primary schools in Staffordshire, and the North West board was informed the project is being worked on with the West Midlands team. Members requested clarification on the trust’s governance - particularly its arrangements for finance expertise.
• All three primary schools in the Rural Church Schools Trust (Bunbury Aldersey CofE Primary School, St Oswald’s Worleston CofE Primary School, and Warmingham CofE Primary School) in Cheshire East received approval to move to the Chester Diocesan Academies Trust, which has 18 primaries across the region. Board members agreed that the trust would benefit from an SRMA and discussed the sequencing of its growth.
• Four primary schools - Holy Rosary RC Junior, Infant and Nursery School, St Herbert’s RC School, St John Fisher RC Primary School and English Martyrs’ RC Primary School - were approved to convert and join Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, which has 18 schools. The board discussed the sequencing of future growth plans for the trust and any relationships with other Catholic trusts that could help support them.

Yorkshire and the Humber

• A decision to move six schools into a major MAT, making it the second largest in the country, was referred up to ministers. As Tes reported earlier this year, the DfE’s regional director for Yorkshire and the Humber referred a decision on moving six schools from the Coast and Vale Learning Trust to Delta Academies up to the education secretary. The minutes do not provide any information about why the decision was referred. The DfE has subsequently approved plans for Delta to take on Scalby School, Newby and Scalby Primary, Friarage Community Primary, Lady Lumley’s School, Filey School and the Scarborough University Technical College.
• The transfer of nine primary school academies in Barnsley into three trusts has been approved. The schools have been part of St Mary’s Academy Trust. Four of the schools - Queens Road Academy, Darton Primary School, The Mill Academy and West Meadows Primary - are being moved to Hoyland Common Academy Trust. Tom Banham is currently CEO of both trusts. He is also on the regional advisory board but did not receive papers, take part in the discussion or provide advice on this decision because of a conflict of interest. Three schools - St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Dodworth St John the Baptist CE Primary Academy and Royston St John Baptist CE Primary - are being moved to the Enhance Academy Trust. Finally, All Saints Academy, Darfield and Elsecar Holy Trinity CE Primary Academy are being moved to the Diocese of Sheffield Academies Trust.
• The Moorlands Learning Trust has been approved to take on a primary and a secondary school in Leeds. Talbot Park Primary and Benton Park School, a secondary in the city, have both been approved to convert to academy status and join the trust.

East Midlands

• A new satellite site for Stubbin Wood School (T.E.A.M Education Trust, five schools) has been to open after initially being deferred by the regional director until additional information was provided. It will provide 12 primary special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) provision places.
• Caunton Dean Hole CofE Primary School in Nottinghamshire has been approved to join T.E.A.M Education Trust as a one-off exception to the local diocese’s policy requiring church schools to join church MATs. This agreement is contingent upon the school retaining its status as a church school and the trust adopting faith articles. A number of risks were raised about this project and it will be closely monitored.
• Hospital and Home Education PRU in Nottingham is joining Nexus Multi Academy Trust (17 schools).
• An application for Hunsbury Park Primary School, West Northamptonshire, to convert and join Orbis Education Trust (two schools) has been deferred until additional information is provided to the regional director.
• Lady Jane Grey Primary School, Leicester, which has applied to convert from a SAT to join Raleigh Education Trust (five schools), has also been deferred on the same grounds.
• Millgate School (Discovery Schools Academies Trust, 18 schools) has been approved to close its eight-place short-stay boarding provision.

West Midlands

• The approved the formation of the Broadway Family Multi Academy Trust in December, which will initially consist of five schools in Walsall. Four of these were approved to convert: Delves Infant School, Delves Junior School, Hillary Primary School, and Palfrey Infant School. The fifth school is secondary Joseph Leckie Academy, which is currently a SAT. The schools had already been working together, and the proposal has been worked on for over a year through the Trust Establishment Working Group.
• The Wordsley School, a secondary in Dudley, was approved to convert and join the Stour Vale Academy Trust, which has 12 academies across Sandwell, Dudley and Worcestershire. The minutes state the trust’s school improvement model will support Wordsley and that the trust will also be able to provide additional support in finance, human resources and operations.
• Finally, two primaries in Shropshire - St John’s Catholic Primary School and Our Lady and St Oswald’s Primary School - received approval to convert and join Our Lady of Christians Catholic Academy Trust, which has 11 schools. The board said the primaries would benefit from a “well-established network of Catholic faith schools in the region”.

East of England

• Watling Lower School, a primary judged “good” by Ofsted but in financial deficit, was to convert and join Scholars’ Education Trust, which runs 11 academies across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.
• Meppershall Church of England Academy, a small village school in central Bedfordshire run by Poppy Hill Church of England Multi Academy Trust (two schools), can lower its age range from 4-11 to 2-11 in order to take over nursery provision from Meppershall Pre-School, a charity. The charity’s assets would transfer to the trust.
• The eight-school Chelmsford Learning Partnership will take on three primaries. They are Rettendon Primary School, which will convert, Runwell Community Primary School, transferring from the Runwell Community Primary School Academy Trust (a SAT), and Woodville Primary School, transferring from Fennwood Academy Trust, which does not currently sponsor any other schools. The board heard about the challenges faced by each school from declining outcomes, falls in pupil numbers and financial constraints. The regional director recommended a period of consolidation following these transfers.
• Joyce Frankland Academy, run by Anglian Learning (18 academies), will close its sixth form, which is not a financially viable setting because student numbers have been declining over several years, the board heard.
• A decision for Warden Hill Infant School in Luton, rated “requires improvement” by Ofsted, to convert and join the four-school Pioneer Learning Trust, was escalated to ministers.
• Windmill Hill School was permitted to transfer from Creating Tomorrow Multi Academy Trust, which runs six special schools, to the eight-school Lime Trust following an “inadequate” Ofsted inspection.
• Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, part of Inspiration Trust (18 schools), will close its sixth form due to low student numbers.
• Chalkwell Hall Junior School, in Southend, Essex, was approved to convert and join Eastwood Park Academy Trust, which runs two academies in the same town. It was suggested that the trust board should meet more frequently than three times a year.
• Henley Gate Primary School, in Ipswich, Suffolk, a free school presumption proposed to open in Ipswich in 2027, will have a sponsor decision escalated to ministers as per departmental guidance. The minutes do not state which trust this concerns.
• Heartsease Primary Academy, part of Unity Schools Partnership (39 academies), was approved outside of the meeting to lower its age range from 3-11 to 2-11.

London

• According to the , there was no meeting in December. However, two decisions were made via correspondence: the board approved a significant change to Ealing Fields High School, part of the four-school Twyford Church of England Academies Trust, for the school to be designated with a religious character. The board also approved a proposal for Our Lady of Victories RC Primary School in Islington to convert into an academy and join St John Southworth Catholic Academy Trust, a six-academy MAT in Kensington and Chelsea.
• Some further decisions were approved between meetings: a significant change was approved for Bedelsford School, a special school in Kingston that is part of the 14-school Orchard Hill College Academy Trust, to acquire an additional site, increase its pupil number by more than 20 or more than 20 per cent, and to change its type of SEN support to include moderate to severe learning difficulties.
• The board also approved a proposal for St Cyprian’s Greek Orthodox Primary Academy, a SAT in Croydon, to reduce its PAN in-year and for Darrick Wood School, a secondary in Bromley, to transfer from a SAT to the Beckenham-based Impact Multi Academy Trust, which has seven schools.
• Finally, the board approved a proposal for Tudor Academy, a primary in the 20-school STEP Academy Trust, Croydon, to add an SEN unit - with a condition that the revenue funding agreement is finalised and agreed by all parties before the unit opens.

South West

• Six schools are converting to join Pickwick Academy Trust (15 schools in North and South Wiltshire and North Dorset). One of those schools, Woodford Valley Church of England Aided School, is transferring from a SAT.
• Robert Blake has been to join United Learning Trust (90 schools). While the directive academy order was revoked in September 2024, under policy guidance, the secondary school has requested to continue to convert and join United Learning. This has been approved by the regional director.
• Honiton Community College (Ted Wragg Trust, 18 schools) has been approved to change its age range to 11-16 years by removing its sixth form provision.
• Curnow School, which is part of Special Partnership Trust (seven schools), is opening an additional satellite site to provide nine SEND places.

South East

• In the , Polesden Lacey Infant School was approved to join LEO Academy Trust (currently nine schools). Sir Andrew Carter did not receive any papers relating to Polesden or participate in discussions or provide advice on this project due to a conflict of interest as CEO of South Farnham Educational Trust, which had previously spoken to the school about the possibility of the school joining SFET.
• Furzefield Primary School and Horsell Church of England Primary School were also given the green light to join LEO Academy Trust.
• A proposal for a sponsor for Warfield All Saints Special Free School was escalated to ministers, with points raised over the need for more HR and legal expertise on the board and queries over possible overlap between roles at the trust and one individual undertaking multiple roles.
• Meadowbrook College and Gillotts School, both in Oxfordshire, were approved to join the River Learning Trust - currently 30 schools. The chief executive of River Learning Trust, Paul James, is part of the South East advisory board, but did not receive any papers and did not participate in discussions or provide advice on this project due to a conflict of interest, the minutes note.
• Ark Alexandra in East Sussex was approved to close its sixth form.
• Cropredy Church of England Primary School in Oxfordshire, St Nicholas’ Church of England Infants’ School and Fir Tree Junior School were all approved to expand to include nursery provision.
• West Witney Primary School and Nursery will move from being a SAT to join Eynsham Partnership Academy (currently 10 schools).
• Owlsmoor Primary School will join The Circle Trust (10 schools).

Note: Published regional advisory board minutes do not contain full details of the school context.

Written and compiled by Jasmine Norden, Ellen Peirson-Hagger, John Roberts, Charlotte Santry, Cerys Turner and Dan Worth.

Find our interactive map of England’s multi-academy trusts by clicking here, where you will also find links to all our MAT Tracker content