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

Some 97 decisions were approved, including 35 conversions, one merger and the establishment of two new MATs.

There were also four academies that changed trusts and four 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
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East of England

• The approved the merger of Great Baddow High School in Chelmsford, which is a single-academy trust, with Eveleigh LINK Academy Trust, which has seven academies across Essex. They will form a new MAT called Quantum. Advisers recommended appointing an independent member and trustee.
• Two “requires improvement”-rated primaries in Norfolk - Attleborough Primary School and Rosecroft Primary School - are converting and joining Sapientia Education Trust, which has 20 academies across East Anglia. The two primaries are already feeder schools to a secondary run by Sapientia.
• Wootton Lower School, in Bedford, part of Chiltern Learning Trust, will be allowed to increase its age range from 3-9 to 3-11 as part of a wider restructure to a two-tier system.
• Kennett Primary School, in Cambridgeshire, part of Staploe Education Trust (three primaries and a secondary), got approval to expand by 105 places.
• Alderton Junior School, in Essex, run by Epping Forest Schools Partnership Trust (16 academies), was authorised to create an eight-place autistic spectrum condition resource provision.
• Longwood Primary Academy, in Essex, part of the six-academy NET Academies Trust, will add a special educational needs unit for 16 autistic pupils.
• Beaumont School, a standalone academy trust in St Albans, Hertfordshire, was approved to increase capacity by more than 30 places. The “outstanding”-rated school attracted last year when its intake was reduced.
• Elveden Church of England Primary Academy, in Norfolk, was approved to add a special educational needs unit for 18 pupils aged 4-7.

Yorkshire and the Humber

• Todmorden High School, in Calderdale, has been given approval to join SHARE Multi Academy Trust after previously having been lined up to join a different trust. The say the governors decided that SHARE more closely aligns to their vision and is a better fit for the school. SHARE currently runs four primaries and four secondaries in neighbouring Kirklees.
• Nexus Multi Academy Trust has been given approval to take on another special school, Seven Hills School, a 120-capacity school in Sheffield. The school has expanded on to two satellite sites and currently has almost double its capacity, with 224 pupils on roll.
• Four Church of England schools in Kirklees are converting to academies and joining Learning Accord Multi Academy Trust, which is based in Huddersfield and currently runs 12 schools. Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, St Thomas CE (VC) Primary School, St John’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School and Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School were all approved to join the trust with a condition that the Department for Education schools finance and oversight teams are to be “reassured about consolidated financial forecasts for Cumberworth and St John’s”.
• Two primary schools in Leeds have been approved to join Cockburn Multi Academy Trust, which currently has five schools. Ingram Road Primary School was converted through a sponsored academy order and Hunslet Carr Primary School has joined through a converter academy order.

North East

• Two primary academies in County Durham run by the same trust have been given approval to amalgamate, . St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Ushaw Moor is to join Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Catholic Primary School. The plan is to rebuild on the St Joseph’s site under the unique reference number (URN) of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, and close St Joseph’s. The board discussed a decline in pupil numbers. The Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which currently runs 47 schools, said the proposal, if approved, would mean the school would achieve forecasted pupil numbers.
• The board also approved a move that will consolidate school provision in Darlington. Mowden Infant School and Mowden Junior School have been approved to transfer from The Federation of Mowden Schools Academy Trust, which comprises the two schools, to join the Northern Arch Learning Partnership, which currently contains one primary school, two secondary schools and a sixth-form college. The board was told that the addition of the Mowden schools will formalise existing links and strengthen the Northern Arch Learning Partnership trust by adding strong primary capacity.
• Hetton Lyons Primary School, in Hetton-le-Hole, near Sunderland, was given approval to add a 16-place provision for autistic pupils. The school is run by two-school Balmoral Learning Trust.

London

• No in the capital in November. The next update will come from the December meeting.

South West

• Abbot Alphege Academy and Weston All Saints Primary School, both in Bath and within 18-school The Partnership Trust, are amalgamating to form a new school, Weston All Saints Primary School.
• St Cuthbert’s Church of England Academy Infants and Pre-School, in Wells, is converting from a single-academy trust to join Wessex Learning Trust.
• Seven new academies in principle: Evercreech C of E Primary School and Lovington C of E Primary School (Preston Primary Academy Trust); Westbury Leigh CofE Primary School (Palladian Academy Trust); Beckington Church of England First School and Mells Church of England First School (The Bath and Wells Diocesan Academies Trust); St Nicholas Church of England VC Primary School (Equa Mead Learning Trust); and Elmhurst Junior School (Wessex Learning Trust).
• Two primary schools in Somerset are joining 20-school Wessex Learning Trust: Kewstoke Primary School and St Cuthbert’s Junior School.
• Treverbyn Academy in Cornwall (Aspire Academy Trust) has been approved to extend its age range from 4-11 to 2-11 by closing a separate nursery on site and locating to the Treverbyn Academy site.
• Clyst Vale Community College, a SAT in Devon, has been given the go-ahead to reduce its age range from 11-18 to 11-16, removing sixth-form provision.

North West

• The November show it approved the conversion of three primary schools to join Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which has 10 schools in Lancashire, on the condition that the trust accelerates action in response to recommendations from a school resource management adviser and provides updated financial projections. The schools are St Mary and St Andrew’s Catholic Primary School, St Ignatius Catholic Primary School and St Mary and St Michael Catholic Primary School.
• The board also approved the transfer of two SATs in Westmorland and Furness - Stramongate Primary School and secondary Castle Park School - to 15-school MAT Cumbria Education Trust on the condition that the trust has a school resource management adviser.
• St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust, which has 17 schools, received approval from the board to take on four converting primary schools: St Vincent’s Roman Catholic Primary School, St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School and Holy Family Roman Catholic Primary School.
• University Technical College (UTC) Warrington had applied for two significant changes: to change its age range from 14-19 to 13-19, and to reduce its published admissions number (PAN) from 130 to 90. The board approved the change in age range but not the change to the PAN, feeling it was not reflective of the local area’s needs.

East Midlands

• No for the East Midlands in November. The next update will come from the December meeting.

West Midlands

• Three primary schools in Staffordshire and Derbyshire - St Bartholomew’s C of E School, Ilam C of E Primary School and St Leonard’s C of E First School - received approval at the to convert and join the Moorlands Primary Federation, which has nine schools. The board discussed the challenges that the schools face because of being smaller than average and in rural areas, and said that Moorlands has experience with this.
• SAT James Brindley School Trust, a special school in Birmingham, received approval to become a MAT called Think Differently Multi-Academy Trust. It will sponsor Oscott Manor School. The new MAT will have the capacity to expand special-school provision in Birmingham, the board said.
• Secondary SAT Langley School in Solihull was approved to become a MAT called Collaborative Education Trust. The trust will initially consist of four schools. The other three - Coleshill Heath School, Haslucks Green School and Oak Cottage Primary School received approval to convert.
• Four schools in Worcestershire were approved to convert and join Alvechurch C of E Muti Academy Trust. These were special provision Chadsgrove School and first schools Meadows First School, Stoke Prior First School and Fairfield First School. Alvechurch opened in 2017 as an empty MAT. These conversions will form a five-school MAT. The board recommended a school resource management adviser and CEO mentoring.
• A number of schools in the Pershore Education Planning Area in Worcestershire received approval for significant changes. The changes are needed to transition from three-tier to two-tier education in the area. Pershore High School and Crowle C of E First School were approved to change their age ranges and expand by more than 30 places, and Pinvin C of E Academy and St Barnabas C of E First and Middle School were approved to change their age ranges.
• A decision on a new MAT, Warwick Schools Foundation Multi Academy Trust , was deferred to allow futher information to be gathered on the process. Decisions were also deferred on the conversions of special schools Evergreen School, Exhall Grange Specialist School, and primaries Clapham Terrace Community Primary School and Nursery and Westgate Primary School. The board discussed whether the new MAT proposal aligns with a need for Warwickshire to develop more high-quality provision after the local authority completed a review of SEND and AP.

South East

• The show approval, with conditions, for the Horsham Learning Alliance to form a new MAT.
• An academy order for Sunbury Manor School to join Harris Federation was approved.
• Chiltern Hills Academy in Buckinghamshire was approved to transfer to Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust, with members noting that adding another secondary school to the trust would have a positive financial impact.
• A request for Hawkedon Primary School, within the Orchard Learning Alliance, to change is admissions was declined.
• Grazeley Parochial Church of England Aided Primary School will join The Keys Academy Trust.
• Cold Harbour Church of England School will join Oxford Diocesan Bucks Schools Trust.
• Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School will join Greenshaw Learning Trust.

The following were approved as new academy openings from 1 December.

• Addington School in Wokingham has joined Ascendancy Partnership Trust.
• Ashmead Combined School in Buckinghamshire has joined Insignis Academy Trust.
• Bordon Infant School in Hampshire has joined the University of Chichester Academy Trust.
• Brooklands School in Surrey has joined The Weydon Multi Academy Trust.
• Crawley Down Village C of E School in West Sussex has joined the Hurst Education Trust.
• Emerson Valley School in Milton Keynes has joined 5 Dimensions Trust.
• Manor Green School in Maidenhead has joined Ascendancy Partnership Trust.
• Merebrook Infant School in Milton Keynes has joined 5 Dimensions Trust.
• St Mary’s Wavendon C of E Primary School in Milton Keynes has joined Inspiring Futures Through Learning.
• St Michael’s C of E Primary School in Steventon Village, Oxfordshire, has joined Abingdon Learning Trust.
• Summerlea Community Primary School in West Sussex has joined Schoolsworks Academy Trust.
• Tickford Park Primary School in Milton Keynes has joined Grand Union Partnership Multi Academy Trust.

Written and compiled by Cerys Turner, Jasmine Norden, John Roberts, Charlotte Santry 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