Teachers' fears over schools shake-up

Three-quarters of headteachers say that Government plans for all schools to become part of multi-academy trusts will not lead to better results for pupils.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has set out plans for all schools to either have become academies by 2030, or be in the process of joining a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) by then.

As headteachers gather for the annual NAHT conference, a survey of more than 1,000 school leaders shows that 76% either disagreed or strongly disagreed that a fully trust-led system would improve academic results for pupils.

Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: "NAHT is proud to represent leaders in all different types of schools and excellent teaching and learning takes place in a wide range of different contexts. Ultimately it is people, not structures, that makes the biggest difference to pupil outcomes.

“Many leaders already working in multi-academy trusts have found benefits in doing so, but the Government has a lot more work to do if it is to convince all school leaders that its plans for further structural reform will have a positive impact.”

He added: "School leaders not currently in an MAT have told us that they can see some potential advantages to being part of a trust, but they also have a number of important and legitimate concerns.”

Heads cited concerns such as a loss of autonomy as a school leader (92%) or a loss of autonomy for the governing body (74%) and also have fears about retaining the “unique local context of their school” (83%), and the financial impact on the school (60%).