We understand that joining a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) is a significant decision for your school, and it often comes with a lot of questions. Whether you’re a school leader, teacher, support staff, or part of the community, you may be wondering about the changes, opportunities and benefits that come with being part of a MAT. We want to make the process as transparent and straightforward as possible.
Below, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions to help you feel confident about what it means to join Thinking Schools Academy Trust.
The majority of schools who have joined us have kept their name, however some have chosen to change their name due a variety of reasons. Any decisions would be made by your Headteacher.
Governors will be given the opportunity to join the new Academy Advisory Board (AAB). We will ask school governors to carry out a skills audit. The Chair of the school’s original board will usually join the hub governing board (AGB)
Nothing! Some Heads bring their school into our Trust ahead of their retirement with plans to retire shortly after. However most stay exactly the same and get to utilise the network of 20+ strong Heads in our family of schools. Headteachers will have line management with the Regional Director for the hub that their school will join.
Yes, we would encourage schools to maintain their connections within the local area alongside the new connections within our organisation.
At TSAT we use Microsoft Office 365 across the organisation and within the classroom. All schools will need to be Microsoft users to access the collaborative elements of being a member. If your school is not a Microsoft school, we will put a detailed project plan in place complete with training to work towards migrating the school to Microsoft over time.
The school’s Headteacher and Business Manager will be the key members of staff involved in the conversion process. We are conscious of the workload for these members of staff and always create the project plan for the process according to their needs.