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Ofsted inspection

NGA comments on government confirmation of trust inspections

News
07/01/2026

The government has today confirmed that inspections of multi-academy trusts will be introduced through an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, fulfilling a commitment made in its manifesto and referenced in the King’s Speech.

The new provision, added following further policy development, will become law alongside the bill when it receives anticipated royal assent in the first half of this year. Focus will now turn to how trust inspections will operate in practice, including their frequency, scope, inspection criteria, and the inspectorate's capacity to deliver them effectively. The National Governance Association will continue to represent the views of the governance community as these proposals are developed over the coming months.

Emma Balchin, NGA Chief Executive, said:

“The majority of England's children and young people now attend a school within a MAT, yet the inspection system has remained focused on a single school model. NGA has consistently called for a wider inspection system to reflect the reality of the sector which should include inspection at trust level. A MAT is more than the sum of its individual schools, with trust-wide governance, executive leadership, workforce, budgets and more which shape children’s futures. With MATs playing such an undisputable role in raising standards and breaking down barriers to opportunity, it is right for them to be both subject to robust scrutiny for key areas of improvement and equally celebrated for their innovation and success.

We are particularly pleased to see governance at the heart of today’s announcement, given the essential role of the multiple tiers of trust governance in leading and developing their MATs. NGA look forward to continuing to work with the government to ensure these plans deliver on their promise without creating excessive workload and pressures for organisations and leaders which already do so much. We hope in doing so we can play our part in working to ensure that the inspectorate has the capacity and tools to effectively deliver a fair framework, one which avoids disincentivising trusts from taking on those schools which most need help, while ensuring any intervention as a result of inspection is proportionate and constructive.”

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