Here are the key regional advisory board decisions affecting multi-academy trusts (MATs) in each region in England in March 2025. For more updates, visit our regional advisory boards hub.

While not all boards met this month, some 62 decisions were approved overall, including 15 conversions, a new free school, 18 academies that changed trusts and two single-academy trusts (SATs) that joined a MAT.

Scroll down or click the links below to jump straight to your region.

• North East
• North West
• Yorkshire and the Humber
• East Midlands
• East of England
• London
• South West
• South East
• West Midlands
   

North East

No meeting of the advisory board took place for the North East region in March but the decisions taken by the regional director during the month have been published by the DfE.

• Two primary schools in County Durham have been given approval to switch trusts. Both primaries are moving from the Together Learning Partnership, which was a two-school trust, to the Melrose Learning Trust, which will now have 12 academies.  The schools making the move are Cleves Cross Primary and Nursery School Academy in Ferryhill and Rosa Street Primary and Nursery Academy in Spennymoor.
• A special school in Sunderland has been given approval to increase its pupil numbers. The Harry Watts Academy, run by the Prosper Learning Trust (five schools), has been given the go-ahead to make this significant change.

North West

The North West regional advisory board had no March meeting.

Yorkshire and the Humber

No meeting of the advisory board took place for the Yorkshire and the Humber region in March but the DfE has published the decisions taken by the regional director.

• All six schools in a multi-academy trust in York have been given approval to join a larger trust in the region. A secondary and five primaries will transfer from the South York Multi Academy Trust to the STAR Multi Academy Trust. STAR currently runs 11 academies in West Yorkshire. The York schools set to switch to the trust are Fulford School, Wheldrake with Thornaby CE Primary, Dunnington CE Primary, Archbishop of York CE Juniors, Escrick CE Primary, and Bishopthorpe Infants.
• Two alternative provision academies have been approved to expand their pupil numbers. The Compass Academy in Hull, run by the Hope Sentamu Learning Trust (14 schools), has been given the green light to increase its pupil numbers from 60 to 75. The Bradford Alternative Provision Academy, run by the Exceed Academies Trust (14 schools), is looking to expand its Alternative Provision by at least 20 places and acquire a satellite site.
• Fairfield Academy in North East Lincolnshire, run by The David Ross Education Trust (36 schools), has been approved to establish a unit to support children with a primary need identified as communication and interaction difficulties, and children with a diagnosis of autism.
• Two secondary schools have had approval to close their sixth forms. Holderness Academy and Cottingham High School, both run by the Consortium Multi Academy Trust (eight schools) in the East Riding were given the go-ahead to make this significant change.

East Midlands

There was no March meeting in the East Midlands.

West Midlands

There was a March meeting in the West Midlands, but notes were yet to be published at the time of writing.

East of England

• The Cornelius Vermuyden School, a secondary in Essex, was approved to transfer from its single academy trust to South East Essex Academy Trust (eight schools), following an “inadequate” Ofsted rating in October 2023. The minutes state that the board heard about the “significant challenges faced by the school in leadership, curriculum, behaviour and safeguarding”. The school has received “significant support from the department and other local trusts” but SEEAT is the only trust willing to continue to support the school, subject to a departmental financial support package.
• Hampton Academies Trust (four schools) was approved to sponsor Great Haddon Primary School in Peterborough. The new free school is set to open in September 2026.
• Eastern Education Group Trust (eight schools) received approval to redesignate the Chalk Hill AP academy to a special school, as well as to transfer its site, change its age range to 8-16, and increase pupil numbers to 48. The school’s boarding facilities had created an anomaly as there is no Ofsted inspection framework for APs with boarding, leading to the request to redesignate it as a special academy with boarding provision.
• Bridge Academy Trust (11 schools) was approved to add an 8-place SEN unit/resourced provision to Chipping Ongar Primary School in Essex. 
• Academy Transformation Trust (21 schools) will be allowed to change the age range from 3-11 to 4-11 at Ravens Academy in Essex, and close its nursery.
• St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Luton can convert to an academy and join St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust (17 schools).
• Iceni Primary Academy in Norfolk, which is run by Academy Transformation Trust, can change its age range from 4-11 to 3-11 and add a nursery.
• Stanton Community Primary School in Suffolk was approved to convert to an academy and join Eastern Education Group Trust.
• A decision was deferred on an application from Hopton CEVC Primary School in Suffolk, to convert to an academy and join Elveden Schools Trust (two schools).
• Kyson Primary School in Suffolk was approved to convert to an academy and join East Anglian Schools Trust (10 schools).
• Orwell Multi Academy Trust (seven schools) received retrospective approval for The Willows Primary School in Suffolk to change its age range from 3-11 to 4-11 and close its nursery.
• Consortium Trust (14 schools) was conditionally approved for Warren School, Suffolk, to acquire an additional satellite site. The DfE’s Regions Group will review the provision in collaboration with Consortium Trust during the Spring term of 2026. Consortium is also required to provide an update on the viability of Glebeland Primary School.

London

• No meeting in March.

South West

• Leading Edge Academies Partnership (six schools) has applied to take on six schools in Truro and Penwith and the Isles of Scilly. The board has approved it on the condition that the trust’s board approves the adoption of church articles.
• All Saints CEVC Primary School and Gomeldon Primary School have been approved to convert to academy status and join Pickwick Academy Trust (21 schools). 
• The Grove Primary School, part of Equa Mead Trust (19 schools), is adding a 20-place resource base for children with speech, language and communication needs.
• The board has also approved Westlea Primary School (Brunel Academies Trust, eight schools) to close the special resourced provision for children with physical disabilities.

South East

March was a quiet month for the South East, with only two decisions taken at the meeting held on 20 March.

• Oakbank Secondary School in Wokingham (Berkshire), which was rated “inadequate” by Ofsted last November, has switched from the Anthem Schools Trust (16 schools) to the Greenshaw Learning Trust (37 schools). The advisory board said that Oakbank “is in urgent need of support” and that there are “concerns over the school’s viability”, which has “clear” financial and educational risks. Greenshaw was said to have a “strong track record of secondary school performance turnaround” by the advisory board, which approved the transfer with the condition that exclusion rates at Oakbank are monitored.
• The only other decision was that Great Marlow School in Buckinghamshire has joined the Marlow Education Trust (3 schools). The secondary school already had a relationship with the trust, and becomes its third school. However, the advisory board said that the Marlow Education Trust “has a limited track record of school improvement”, adding that “further growth should be met with evidence of a clear school improvement strategy”. The advisory board also flagged that “performance progress” of the trust’s one primary school, Beechview Academy, “is a concern” and said that “adding a strong primary school into the trust will allow capacity to be built and support further growth”.

A further 16 decisions were made in between meetings:

• The advisory board deferred a decision on Lane End Primary in Buckinghamshire joining the Chiltern Way Academy Trust (5 schools). It would be the trust’s first exclusively primary-aged school.
• In Berkshire, St. Anthony’s Catholic Primary School changed its age range, adding a nursery. The opening of four academies in the county within the Orchard Learning Alliance (eight schools) were also approved in principle: Highwood Primary School; Hillside Primary School; Willow Bank Infant School; and Willow Bank Junior School.
• In Surrey, Southfield Park Primary School was approved to join the Lumen Learning Trust, becoming the seventh school in the all-primary trust; Chandlers Field Primary School has joined LEO Academy Trust, now the twelfth in the trust; and the opening of North Downs Primary School academy, part of the Everychild Partnership Trust (seven schools), was approved in principle.
• The Kingsbrook School in Buckinghamshire has expanded.
• Portswood Primary School in Southampton has changed its age range.
• The Priory Primary School in Hampshire has joined the South Farnham Educational Trust (10 schools).
• A merger between Phoenix Academy and Burfield Academy, members of the STEP Academy Trust in East Sussex, was escalated to the minister and approved (20 schools).
• Also approved were the openings of St Bartholomew’s Catholic Primary School in Kent, becoming the 30th school in the Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership; West Witney Primary School & Nursery in Oxfordshire, part of Eynsham Partnership Academy (11 schools); and Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School in Berkshire, as part of Greenshaw Learning Trust (37 schools).

Compiled by Charlotte Santry, Jasmine Norden, John Roberts, Cerys Turner and Ramsay Hodgson.

Find our interactive map of England’s multi-academy trusts by clicking here, where you will also find links to all our MAT Tracker content