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Here are the key regional advisory board decisions affecting multi-academy trusts in each region in England in April 2025. For more updates, visit our regional advisory boards hub.

As in previous months, not all regions had a meeting in April, but overall 66 decisions were made, including three academy orders, 16 conversions, a trust merger, two new MATs, three single-academy trusts (SATs) joining MATs, 33 significant changes and eight rebrokerings.

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

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

North West

• No advisory board meeting was held in the in April - board members’ advice was instead sought by correspondence.
• Two primary schools in the Wirral - St George’s Primary School and Liscard Primary School - received approval to convert and join Peninsula Multi Academy Trust on the condition that the trust should agree to a school resource management adviser (SRMA) being deployed. The trust currently has one secondary school, and the board commented that it would need to review its governance structure to ensure that it has the appropriate roles, responsibilities and areas of expertise.
• St Philip Westbrook CofE Aided Primary School in Warrington received approval to convert and join Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust, which currently has 18 primary schools. This was also on the condition that the trust accepts an SRMA deployment. The board supported the project “from an educational perspective”, but raised financial concerns at a trust level. The notes state that the trust has provided the necessary financial assurances.
• An SRMA deployment was also a condition of approval for The Good Shepherd Multi Academy Trust to sponsor Millom Infant School in Cumberland. The trust currently has 12 primaries. Regional director Vicky Beer commented that the trust has taken sensible steps at another school, but more clarity is required on its strategy at a trust level.

West Midlands

• The planned April meeting of the board did not go ahead, and all decisions were taken outside of an advisory board meeting.
• Interim regional director Jonathan Duff approved Waterhouses CofE Primary Academy and St John’s CofE Primary Academy, both in Staffordshire, to transfer from QEGSMAT (which has seven schools) to The Moorlands Primary Federation (10 schools).
• Four primary schools also received approval to convert to academies. Beoley First School in Worcestershire will join Shires Multi Academy Trust, Short Wood Primary School in Shropshire will join Severn Bridges Multi Academy Trust, Exhall Junior School in Warwickshire will join The Griffin Schools Trust, and New Oscott Primary School in Birmingham will join Broadleaf Partnership Trust.

North East

• There was no meeting of the but documents have been published showing decisions taken during April by the DfE’s regional director.
• Our Lady Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Primary School, in County Durham, has been approved to join Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust (30 schools) through a sponsored academy order.
• Dyke House Sports and Technology College, in Hartlepool, was granted approval to make a significant change by removing its sixth-form provision. The school is part of Northern Education Trust ( 30 schools).
• Redby Academy, a primary school in Sunderland, was also granted approval for a significant change: creating a resourced provision. The school is run by Tyne Coast Academy Trust (five schools).

Yorkshire and the Humber

• The approved a sponsored academy order for Summer Lane Primary School in Barnsley to be taken on by HCAT multi-academy trust.
• A sixth-form college has been given approval to convert to academy status and set up a new academy trust. Franklin College, in Grimsby, which is rated as “outstanding” by Ofsted, is to set up the Franklin College Trust.
• Saint Pius X Catholic High School, in Rotherham, is to convert to academy status and join the St Francis Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which currently runs 13 schools, predominantly in South Yorkshire.
• Two schools in Sheffield have been given approval to convert and join the Cascade Multi Academy Trust, which currently runs four primary schools in the city. It will be joined by Limpsfield Junior School and Sharrow Nursery, Infant and Junior School.
• Thorpepark Academy, a primary school in Hull, has been given approval to acquire a satellite site and increase the number of pupils within an existing special educational needs (SEN) unit. The school is part of Venn Academy Trust (14 schools).
• Four primary schools in North Yorkshire have won approval to increase their age range by opening a nursery. Broomfield School, Mill Hill Primary and Helmsley Community Primary, all run by Areté Learning Trust (11 schools), had their significant change applications approved, as did Welburn Community Primary School, which is run by the Pathfinder Multi Academy Trust ( 17 schools).

East of England

• The East of England board the transfer of both Crosshall Infant School Academy Trust and Crosshall Junior School Ltd, both single-academy trusts, to Meridian Trust, which runs 30 academies. The board heard about the benefits of having the infant school and junior school together under one responsible body, such as economies of scale and enhanced CPD.
• The board decided to escalate to the minister a decision regarding the merger of Brancaster CofE Primary Academy with Docking CofE Primary Academy and Nursery. This would lead to the closure of the Brancaster site. There are currently only 24 pupils on roll at Brancaster and this number is expected to drop further due to changing demographics. Both schools are part of The Diocese of Norwich St Benet’s Multi-Academy Trust, which has 19 schools.
• A decision to merge Great Dunham Primary School with Beeston Primary School, resulting in the closure of the Great Dunham site, was also escalated to the minister. Both are part of Unity Education Trust (16 schools), based in Norfolk. The board heard that Great Dunham was experiencing a drop in the number of school-age children, impacting on the viability of the school.
• Decisions taken outside of the meeting included approval for Nazeing Primary School, in Essex, to convert and join Scholars’ Education Trust, which has 12 academies.
• An application from Honington CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School to convert to an academy and join All Saints Schools Trust, which has 15 academies, was approved with the condition that the trust agrees to the deployment of a SRMA.
• Also approved outside of the meeting was an application for St Mary’s CofE Primary Academy to change its age range from 4-11 to 2-11 and add a nursery. This school is part of The Diocese of Norwich St Benet’s Multi-Academy Trust.
• An application to add a 21-place SEN unit or resourced provision at Shoeburyness High School was approved. This school is part of the Southend East Community Academy Trust (SECAT), which has six schools.
• The board approved the addition of a 14-place SEN unit or resourced provision at Thorpedene Primary School and Nursery. This school is also part of SECAT.

South West

• A request from Delta Education Trust (six schools) and Castleman Academy Trust (five schools) to merge to form a new 11-school trust has been deferred by the regional director. More information was required on school improvement, the values of the trust and the expertise of the board.
• E-ACT (38 schools) has been given the green light to merge Fairlawn Primary School and The Dolphin School, both in Bristol, as well as to increase the published admission arrangements at Fairlawn from 30 to 60 to accommodate the merger.
• Iron Acton CofE Primary School and Hawkesbury CofE Primary School, in South Gloucestershire, are converting to join Severn Federation Academy Trust, which runs seven schools.
• Several schools have also won approval to lower their minimum age. St Peter’s CofE First School (part of Beacon Education, which has six schools), Musbury Primary School (part of First Federation Trust, which has 29 schools), and Swanage Primary School (part of Coastal Learning Partnership, which has 20 schools) are all now accepting pupils from the age of 2.

East Midlands

• A request from St Gilbert’s CofE Primary School SAT to transfer to Lincoln Anglican Academy Trust (23 schools) has been deferred until additional information on the proposal can be provided.
• The two schools that form the Robert Carre Trust - Carre’s Grammar School and Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy - have been approved to move to Community Inclusive Trust (16 schools).
• QEGSMAT (seven schools) and Djangly Learning Trust (10 schools) have been given the green light to merge to form a new trust, Tapestry Learning Partnership.
• Two schools from Pathfinder Schools (17 schools) are moving to INMAT, as Pathfinder trust is closing.
• Village Primary Academy (part of The Harmony Trust, which has 17 schools) and Greenfields Primary School and Nursery (part of David Ross Education Trust, which has 36 schools) are adding 26-place and 32-place SEND units, respectively.

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