MAT Chat

In this episode I'm joined by Michael Unsworth, Chief Operating Officer at Kingfisher Learning Trust, for a conversation about the challenges facing MATs today. What does it mean for a trust to truly evolve? How do you grow with purpose rather than chasing numbers? What strategies can we use to improve recruitment and retention? How do you tackle global challenges like AI and sustainability when y...

In this episode I'm joined by Helen Burge to explore sustainability and climate change from a board and executive team perspective. We talk about where this agenda actually belongs, how to turn climate pressures into practical priorities and why it doesn't have to mean overwhelming schools or creating extra workload. Drawing on Helen's experience as a trustee, consultant and co-chair of the UK Sch...

In this episode, Zoe Heath, Chief of Operations at St Chad's Academies Trust, talks openly about what it's really like when a school moves on – the practical unravelling, the strategic rethink and what it takes to hold up the mirror and ask what you can learn. If you're navigating rebrokering from any angle, or if you're just curious about the side of the story that rarely gets told, this one's fo...

In this episode I’m joined by Sam Compton, CEO of the Creative Learning Partnership Trust, and Laura Austen, the trust’s Chief Operating Officer, to explore what it really takes to open new schools in brand new communities. We dig into how these projects moved from empty sites to fully functioning schools, how identity and belonging were built from the outset, and how decisions were made around de...

In this episode I’m joined by Maggie Farrar to explore what really sits underneath effective governance in Multi-Academy Trusts. Rather than focusing on policies, structures or compliance frameworks, we step back and look at the human side of boards – how trustees think, listen and work together when the decisions are complex and the stakes are high. We talk about curiosity, judgement and relation...

In this episode I’m joined by Sharron Philpot, CEO of Victoria Academies Trust, to explore one of the most live questions in trust leadership: autonomy versus centralisation. We dig into how roles, responsibilities and decision-making have been reshaped over time, what has needed to sit at trust level and where schools have been given space to lead and how those choices have played out in practice...

In this episode I’m joined by David Cameron, education consultant and former Director of Children’s Services, to explore the question: should MATs be more like Local Authorities? We dig into what trusts can learn from the past, what feels missing in the system right now and what stronger partnerships and structures could mean for schools, families and communities. Drawing on decades of experience,...

In this episode I’m joined by Jamie Peacock, former Rugby League legend turned wellbeing mentor and leadership speaker, to explore what wellbeing really looks like for trust leaders. We talk about how wellbeing links to sustainable performance, why small everyday choices matter more than big gestures and how leaders can make changes that help them feel better, lead better and still have something...

In this episode I’m joined by Jonny Coates, now a CFOO in a large MAT in Cumbria, to unpack what it really takes to evolve a business function in a growing trust. We explore how structures and line management shift over time, how to lead change without losing sight of school context and how to strengthen communication, collaboration and succession planning across business teams. Jonny also shares...

In this episode I’m joined by Dr. Chris Whitmore, CEO at The Schools People and HR Director within the Schools Advisory Service Group, to talk about the legal side of MAT growth and rebrokering. We get into the practical do’s and don’ts of employment law when trusts expand, how to put the right legal foundations in place early and what can go wrong when a rebrokering process doesn’t quite go to pl...

In this episode I’m joined by Alice Gregson, CEO of Forum Strategy, to dig into the shifting landscape of MAT leadership. We unpack what the latest ‘Being the CEO’ report reveals about the role right now, the pressures and priorities CEOs are naming, how leaders can stay grounded in an increasingly complex system and why succession planning needs to become a far more intentional part of trust stra...

In our very first episode, I’m joined by Dominic Broad, Deputy CEO of a MAT in the Midlands, to explore three big Cs: culture, capacity and change. We reflect on the greatest asset we have as leaders, why we can’t afford to leave culture to chance, how to balance accountability with empowerment and ways we can create a safe environment for leaders to make mistakes. ▶️ This episode at a glance: [1:...

Welcome to the show about all things Multi-Academy Trust leadership. If it affects how a trust operates, improves or grows we will be talking about it here! Strategy, governance, operations, finance, culture, central teams, risk, collaboration, rebrokering and everything in between... plus the bits no one warns you about, the moments where you hope you're not the only one and the stuff that someti...