NGA’s expertise in the field of MAT governance

We have designed our MAT membership package to provide support to trust boards and their academies. As a trust, you will benefit from a range of resources and guidance to assist you in ensuring good governance across your MAT.

Just some of the benefits your trust board will receive include access to our GOLDline advice service, copies of Governing Matters magazine to the home of every trustee, full access to our online knowledge centre and a complimentary copy of both The Chair’s Handbook and Welcome to a Multi Academy Trust to name a few. 

For more information, head to our NGA MAT membership page.

GOLDline provides governing boards, clerks, headteachers and executive leaders with independent and timely advice. Available throughout the year including school holidays, GOLDline is staffed by our advisers from 9am to 5pm during the working week and is easily accessible online or by phone. Our expert team of advisers will respond to any question relating to the role and duties of governing boards and provide the advice that is needed to deliver effective governance in a range of settings and circumstances.

For more information, please head to our dedicated GOLDline advice page.

Take a look at our most popular academy trust specific guidance:

• Model role description for governance professional and academy committee clerk
• Academy conversion: TUPE
• The governing board's role in academy conversion
• Executive Pay
• Process for changing articles of association
• Academy trusts: the role of members
• Model schemes of delegation
• Twenty-one key questions a MAT board should ask itself
• Trustee role description and person specification

• Consultancy and external reviews of governance
• Leading Governance: Development for Boards 
• E-Learning: Effective MAT Governance

NGA is committed to ensuring that our outputs are supported by robust evidence and insight and we are committed to leading research projects which explore the impact of policy changes, or emerging themes in contemporary education, from a school governance perspective.

• NGA Insights: Governance in MATs
• MAT case studies (2018 - 2019) 
• Moving MATs forward: the power of governance (2019)
• The time it takes to chair a multi academy trust (2020)

Take a look at a selection of our MAT focused blogs and articles: 

• MAT executive pay: a gradual change of attitude? 
• What are the implications of the changing role of school leaders in MATs? 
• Is the role of trust members in MATs currently concentrating power in the hands of a small number of individuals? 
• Three important issues from our time spent chairing MATs research
• Learning the lessons of multi academy trust governance 
• Guest blog: Redressing the democratic deficit within academised governance 
• Laying bare the challenges of MAT governance in a bold and powerful move
• Why being clear on the trustee role in academy trusts is key to success
• Academy governance: 'We need a fundermental rethink about who the members are and how they are appointed' 

Contributors include NGA staff, policy makers, government ministers, governors and others involved in education. Each issue includes the latest news from the organisation, changes in policy and advice on running schools and managing school leaders.

• MAT mergers: anatomy of a merger
• Liability
• Articles of association
• Pensions and academies
• Expanding a trust
• Financial management in academy trusts 

Welcome to a Multi Academy Trust

The third edition of our Welcome to a Multi Academy Trust is a key guide for all MATs and has everything trust board members need to know about their role and responsibility.

The Chair's Handbook

 Whether you’re a chair or prospective chair, this guide is essential reading. Also suitable for vice chairs and committee chairs, you’ll find in this guide everything you need to improve your knowledge about the role.

Community MAT's Network

Community MATs is a network developed by the National Governance Association to give those involved with the governance of multi academy trusts (MATs) the opportunity to share their experiences and practice with others.

Take a look at our upcoming webinars and podcasts.  

Inspiring Governance is a free online school governance recruitment service used by thousands of chairs, and clerks of governing boards and connects skilled volunteers interested in serving as school governors or trustees. We support schools across England, from maintained schools and multi academy trusts to diocesan trusts and local authorities to find skilled governors, trustees and chairs for their boards.

Over 95% of users would recommend Inspiring Governance to other schools and trusts

Find out more about Inspiring Governance