Merger plans that would create England’s first 100-school academy trust have been revealed – four months after the trusts started sharing the same CEO.
United Learning (ULT) – which already runs 96 primaries and secondaries – is looking to absorb southwest chain Authentic Education. The move would see ULT grow to 109 schools.
Jon Coles, its chief executive, was appointed Authentic’s interim boss in November, three months after former CEO Fay MacRitchie left the trust.
Boards approach DfE
In a letter sent to staff, the trusts said: “Our two academy trusts have been working closely together, with United Learning supporting Authentic Education’s schools and central team.
“We are both extremely pleased with how this relationship has developed and our boards have therefore approached the Department for Education to seek to formalise a permanent arrangement with the Authentic schools joining United Learning.”
The letter noted they hoped to complete the merger later this year, subject to DfE approval.
Government figures show ULT has dozens more schools than the next-biggest chains.
Delta Academies Trust and the newly formed St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic MAT run 63 schools each. Reach2 is the only other chain with over 60 schools.
‘Opportunities’ from merger
Authentic’s accounts noted that “changes in the senior management team” prompted its “decision to contract with United Learning to provide additional capacity into the school improvement team”.
Among other things, an agreement was struck for ULT to provide its secondaries with “support from a curriculum, assessment and data perspective”.
The decision to work closely with the trust also allowed “future strategic decisions to be fully informed”, accounts added.
The letter added: “There would be no changes to the structure of [Authentic’s] schools or their admissions policies, and on a day-to-day basis they would run as normal.
“However, students would benefit from a wide range of additional opportunities and staff would have access to United Learning’s wide-ranging continuous professional development programmes.”
‘So far down the line’
Former Delta CEO Paul Tarn was another high-profile trust boss who stepped in to lead another chain ahead of a proposed merger.
He took over Coast and Vale after striking an “in-principle agreement” for the organisations to join forces.
But the plans – which were later greenlit by ministers – sparked warnings before they were due to be considered by the Yorkshire and Humber advisory board.
One trust leader, who asked not to be named, said at the time that “the advisory board is in a very difficult position because they [the trusts] are so far down the line.
“If the board doesn’t think it’s the right match, what happens then?”
