FAQs

What is a multi-academy trust (MAT)?

A multi-academy trust (MAT) is a charitable company established to be responsible for several academies. Each academy remains a separate school with its own local governing body, but governors are responsible to a Board of Trustees established for the Trust as a whole. 

Trustees are accountable to the Secretary of State for Education for the educational and financial performance of all the Trust’s schools and maintain a central team of staff to ensure that schools improve and meet the government’s expectations. 

What are the benefits of becoming part of a multi-academy trust?

There are lots of views and opinions about multi-academy trusts. Supporters say that multi-academy trusts allow schools some additional freedoms, for example, helping stronger collaborations to form between groups of like-minded schools, as well as providing enhanced access to professional development opportunities. This family approach helps each school to get stronger. 

What will this mean for my child’s education? 

Being part of a multi-academy trust will provide greater opportunities for school staff to work together to share and develop best practices so that we can continue to improve teaching and learning in all schools - but you and your child are unlikely to see any visible difference day-to-day. 

Schools will still have the same name, the same uniform, the same admissions arrangements, the same leaders and staff – and, most importantly, the same pupils.

Who will appoint local governing bodies?

Local governing bodies will continue to reflect the character of the school. They will include elected parents and the Headteacher. Other governors will be appointed by the Trustees in partnership with each local governing body. They will continue to involve members of the local community as much as possible, whilst ensuring an appropriate range of skills. 

Will admissions arrangements change?

In short, no.

When would this happen?

If this were to proceed, then it is likely to take most/all of the academic year to complete all the paperwork. We would still work with the Trust throughout all of this, but it is not a quick process. 

What will all this cost – and how is it paid for?

There will be some costs to support the school through this proposed change, but there is potentially a grant from the Government to help cover those costs. For example, if we go ahead, we will need to appoint lawyers to deal with changing the agreements with the Secretary of State and the land and contract transfers.

Is Infinity a good home for our school? 

We think so! All Infinity Academies Trust schools have strong improvement outcomes.

They are in very good financial health and they have a team of people who can help us with all the things we need to improve our school even further.

Doesn’t this mean a major change to the way our school is run? 

No! The Trust is committed to working with its schools and supporting them to improve. Staff will continue in the post on transfer and all pupils will remain on roll. 

Term dates, school times, uniforms and admissions arrangements will not change. We recognise that information widely available on the internet and social media identifies a different approach in some other cases when schools have become academies. 

Will joining a MAT make our school less accountable to our community? 

This is something that we have considered in depth. Different Trusts operate in different ways, and we have been careful to ensure that we are working with a Trust that has: 

• A group of members and trustees who know our community well.
• A Trust who has schools in our immediate area. 
• A commitment to retaining our governing body, and delegating appropriate levels of responsibility to them. 
• Full support of PTAs and ensures that funds for each individual PTA remain with their schools. 

Will any staff leave if we are joining a Trust? 

We hope not. A major drive is to provide better CPD (continuing professional development) and enhanced career opportunities for all of our staff. Moving into a MAT will also not mean any change to the staff’s terms and conditions. Staff would officially be employed by a multi-academy trust, but their existing employment rights would move across under the TUPE rules and thus be protected.

ADDITIONAL FAQs - Added 22 May 2026

What was the main driver for joining the MAT - funding? Pupils on roll? Or development of resources?

There are lots of reasons why we feel this is the right move for us. At the heart of it, schools across the country are increasingly being asked to do more at a point where local authorities are also facing lots of additional pressures. Furthermore, the recent Government White Paper is calling for all schools to be part of a strong family of other schools, and we are genuinely excited about the opportunities that this relationship offers for our community. 

The Government White Paper talks specifically about joining a 'federation' of schools, does this mean that it is MAT specific, or could it be beneficial to link more closely with local schools in the Barton area?

Federating is an option that has been considered, however while there are some merits to this approach, we felt that the additional structure, support and back-office services that are offered as part of a MAT was more aligned to our school’s needs moving forward. 

I'd like more specific information on what the Infinity Academies Trust offers. Who are they, what do they benefit from having schools onboard?

The Trust is very transparent and each year produces an impact report to show the impact of its work. A copy of this year’s report can be found here. 

I do worry about the loss of identity of Barton St Peter’s and also with St Peter’s being the only school currently in this area with not many closer schools, hopefully their statement of being a flagship school for this area will carry forward.

Barton St Peter’s is just over half an hour away from four or five schools that are already part of Infinity, there are also lots of ways for schools to work collaboratively online and at key points throughout the year. 

In addition, one of the attractions of joining Infinity is that the Trust champions each school’s individuality and identity, diversifying support to meet the unique local context of each academy. 

Although our contract terms and conditions are protected in the TUPE process, I am worried that staff pay and conditions can and will inevitably change and that there could be a restructure.

Under TUPE rules MATs must declare any restructures in advance of the TUPE process, there are no plans for any restructures at this time. The only reason that any restructure would take place in the future is based on the number of children attending the school and this would have to occur whether the school was in a trust or not. 

While we know what the schools are like under the MAT and can read their reports, what do we know about them as an employer? Has BSP had access to staff turnover?

Staff turnover at Infinity Academies Trust is significantly lower than national averages. Furthermore, through Infinity’s annual staff surveys, it is benchmarked against hundreds of other trusts across the country. Infinity has favourable results in every criteria for staff responses compared to national averages (further details about this can be found in Infinity’s latest Impact Report.) 

On the governors page it states that "initially" we won't notice any changes. After the initial period what is planned to change? From other schools moving to the MAT what changes good or bad have they noticed?

The key thing is that the Trust does not believe in change for change’s sake. If, however, there are things that can be adopted or evolved to enhance what is happening in the school then this will be brought in, in a structured and pragmatic way and working with the school leaders. 

What differences will we actually notice if we join the MAT? The focus seems to be on confirming the uniform and school day will stay the same, but what changes will there actually be. What will the children notice? Will this put the staff under any unwelcome additional pressure/scrutiny if there’s an external Trust overseeing?

It is important to reiterate that staff feedback from across the Trust shows that Infinity staff feel more supported, more listened to and have more development and progression opportunities than most other trusts. This feedback is gathered through the annual independent staff survey, which is benchmarked against hundreds of other MATs nationally.

In addition, if you look at the Trust’s impact report, you will see that there are countless additional opportunities for pupils, a close and supportive group of senior school leaders and strong back-office support. The key to this back-office support, is that we want to allow headteachers to focus on what matters most - that is children and what happens in the classroom. 

What are staff views as a whole on the proposed MAT?

Part of this process is to find out what staff think of this move, but it would be fair to say that while there have understandable questions, there has been lots of positivity. 

Are there any other local schools in North Lincolnshire, who are also proposing to join the MAT? Does the location of the other cluster schools concern you from a locality point of view?

It is fair to say that there are a number of schools looking to be part of Infinity Academies Trust, given their track record and strong sense of community.  As it stands, Barton St Peter’s is only around half an hour away from four or five Infinity schools and there are likely to be opportunities for us to partner with even closer schools in the future. 

What will it mean in terms of alterations to the school building?

By being part of a trust, there are additional revenue streams for our buildings, IT and infrastructure, there will also be economies of scale that at present we are not able to access. Infinity Academies Trust has a strong commitment to maintaining and developing school estates to ensure they provide high quality learning environments.  

Through Infinity contributions and funding secured through the Government’s Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), the Trust has been able to invest over £6 million into buildings since the start of the 2022/23 academic year. 

There are many benefits to joining at MAT particularly shared resources to reduce costs, in this current climate this can be a huge benefit, but are we actually going to see this benefit when our top slice is now paying for multiple executive heads across the MAT, CEOs and CFOs?  

It is important to recognise that we already pay contributions to the local authority to provide services, so it is our expectation that we will be in a slightly better financial position by being part of a multi-academy trust. 

How much of each school’s money is used to pay the CEO/directors?

Academies have to be very transparent with their finances and publish their accounts each year (unlike local authority schools). Executive pay information can be found here. 

As stressed in previous answers, we also have to pay for services and support from the local authority and we believe we will be in a better financial position by being part of the trust.  

What will it mean in terms of funding for SEND? 

It is no secret that how children with additional needs are supported is a real pressure for schools whether they are academies or not, however, what Infinity does offer is increased capacity and expertise to help us maximise the resources we do have for SEND provision. 

How will this affect the out of school provision? Will wraparound care still be available?

This is something that was considered as part of our discussions, Infinity is committed to ensuring all schools have strong wraparound care where it is practicably possible.

WiIl someone be looking into planning, admin and assessment tasks etc to see if it could be streamlined/brought into line with other schools? 

Within Infinity, Headteachers and the Trust’s Central Team work collaboratively to ensure that where it is sensible and supportive, approaches are brought together to reduce workload and duplication. 

Will the school still have the opportunity to fund raise for our own children? I understand that the main budget goes into the pot but would be good if we can still have events to provide for our community. 

Absolutely. The Trust values the role that PTAs play in supporting its schools. Funds raised by individual school PTAs will remain with their schools.