Download the twenty-one questions for MAT boards
On 20th March 2015 the All Party Parliamentary Group for Education Governance and Leadership published a new set of 21 questions designed to help ensure that governance structures in Multi-academy Trusts (MATs) are fit for purpose.
Previously this APPG, of which NGA is Secretariat, has published the widely used Twenty questions every governing board should ask itself.
Neil Carmichael MP, chair of the APPG said: “These questions address really important issues. MAT board effectiveness is important, it’s important that we get the structures right and it’s important that we get executive leadership right. For that to happen we have to ask the right questions.”
Lord Nash, parliamentary under secretary of state for schools, said: “High quality governance is vital to the success of schools and the quality of education they provide to their pupils. Given the number of schools they oversee, the boards of Multi-academy Trusts have a particularly significant role and we must do everything we can to help them do it well. I am therefore delighted to see the development of a tool that aims to help MAT boards reflect on and improve their performance. The 20 questions for governing bodies have been hugely popular and I hope that these questions for MATs deliver similar impact.”
Emma Knights, chief executive of the National Governance Association said: “With over half of academies now in a Multi-academy Trust, it’s essential that governors and trustees can be confident that their structure supports better outcomes for children and young people. MATs tend to have multiple layers of governance but their respective roles have not always been well defined. The Twenty-one Questions for MAT Boards are broad and challenging; they should provoke reflection and change for the better.”