Governing collaborations: how boards engage with their communities in multi-academy trusts in England

ABSTRACT

Decentralization policy in English education has resulted Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs)-groups of schools governed and led by trustees. Research illustrates that many of these organizations are failing to connect with the school communities they serve. This paper uses documentary analysis and interviews with 30 MAT Board Members to examine this key area. The paper reveals that although there are some strategies in place to overcome this issue, that failure to implement fundamental processes such as communication strategies are leading to fragmentation and feelings of disconnect, and this raises questions as to the extent to which MATs are in touch with and serving their school communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Public management
• governance
• education
• schools
• democratic governance
• England

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust [SG161312].

Notes on contributors

Jacqueline Aundree Baxter

Jacqueline Aundree Baxter is Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor in Public Policy and Management based in The Department of Public Leadership and Social Enterprise at the Open University Business School. Her research interests lie in the area of public service governance, accountability and trust. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Sage journal: Management in Education and tweets @drjacquebaxter.

Chris Cornforth

Chris Cornforth is Emeritus Professor of Organisational Governance and Management at the Open University Business School. He joined the Open University in 1980 and worked for 8 years as a researcher in the Co-operatives Research Unit. In 1988 he moved to the Open University Business School to develop an innovative new management programme for people working in the voluntary sector. Chris’ research focuses on the governance and leadership of third sector organizations and has helped break new ground both theoretically and methodologically in understanding the behaviour of boards and their relations with senior managers. Recent research includes an international comparative study of what makes board chairs effective with colleagues in the US and Canada, a study of the governance of cross-sector partnerships, and a study of the relationship between chairs and chief executives. He has published widely in academic journals and books, and in a range of publications for practitioners. He co-edited the book ‘Nonprofit Governance: Innovative Perspectives and Approaches’ published by Routledge in 2014.