New research looking at nearly two decades of school data has shown that schools that become academies improve more than other state-funded schools.
Since 2002 thousands of schools have become academies, meaning they are run by charities called school trusts and have more flexibility on how they are run.
Across England 64% of all pupils at state-funded schools now attend academies, rising to 84% at secondary school. Schools that aren’t part of trusts are instead overseen by local councils.
The new Advancing education study looks at nearly 20 years of education data and ranks schools year-by-year against national figures, cutting through changes over time in exams and inspection rules.
The study shows the impact of being part of a school trust is equivalent to 16,000 more students getting a Grade 4+ English and maths GCSE and 5,400 primary-age children reaching the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths every year.
The impact for children in the most disadvantaged communities is the greatest, with three times the primary pupil-outcome gain compared to the national trust improvement figure.
In the study’s school rankings, academies have risen an average of 5.6 percentile places over time, whereas other state-funded schools have not moved. The biggest increases have come for academies that are part of a trust running multiple schools.
The analysis supports three key findings:
- Trust membership creates greater capacity for improvement – we should seek to extend that capacity to schools not already in trusts
- The largest gains are found among schools serving the most deprived communities
- Trust with multiple schools have the greatest impact – we should focus on schools joining effective groups.
The research has been carried out by the Confederation of School Trusts and validated by leading education academic Professor Daniel Mujis of Queens University Belfast.
Prof Mujis said: “As large-scale policy reforms are not randomised, there will always be some limitations in terms of evidence of impact. Nevertheless, this important study provides compelling and convincing evidence in this contested field, and suggests that our system of multi-academy trusts deserves policy support.”
Confederation of School Trusts Deputy Chief Executive Steve Rollett said: “This research examines nearly two decades of national data, from 2007 to 2025, to ask a straightforward question: did schools improve their position in national attainment rankings after joining academy trusts, relative to schools that remained with local authorities?
“Across a robust set of six analyses, the answer points consistently in the same direction. Schools in trusts have made substantial gains in their national rankings, whereas other schools have stayed still.
“It strengthens the case that the continued movement – set out in the 2026 Schools White Paper – towards a system in which all schools belong to a high-quality school trust is the right one.”
Also published today is a new study by independent education consultancy ImpactEd, combining a review of existing research with fresh analysis of national school data.
The trust effect report particularly focuses on sponsored academies – schools that joined trusts following negative Ofsted inspections. Its findings show improvement across attainment, pupil progress, and inspection outcomes. For example, among 575 sponsored primary schools with complete inspection histories, more than two thirds were judged Good or better at the second inspection after joining a trust.
At secondary level, academies secured improvements while maintaining a broad curriculum – the number of qualifications entered per pupil remained broadly stable - and more pupils taking academic EBacc subjects, up from 5% in 2010 to 35% in 2025.
Sponsored academies also saw improvements in teacher retention after joining a trust compared to the preceding two years, and increases in parents picking them as first-choice schools when applying for secondary places.
The research has been welcomed by leading education figures.
Sir Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies, a charity running 36 schools across Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, and London, said: “At its heart, this research is about the power of schools working together. Strong trusts create the conditions for collaboration, shared expertise and collective responsibility, enabling schools to achieve more together than they often can alone.
“This study provides important evidence that such collaboration can make a meaningful difference to outcomes for children, particularly those from the most disadvantaged communities.”
Luke Sparkes, Chief Executive of Dixons Academies Trust, which has 20 schools across the north of England, said: “These findings reflect what we see every day: schools are stronger together. Trusts bring schools into a single organisation with a clear and unwavering focus on advancing education for public benefit, creating the collective expertise, capacity and accountability needed to improve outcomes for children and communities, especially where the challenges are greatest.”
Bristol City Council Executive Director for Children and Education Hannah Woodhouse said: "Outcomes improve when schools work purposefully together so is no surprise to me that trusts with good governance and clear strategies for improvement have been able to consistently raise standards and improve inclusion. We have seen this most clearly in the impact good trusts have had in the most vulnerable schools. There are many brilliant leaders and school staff doing exceptional work across the country and they deserve our thanks and appreciation. We have much to do together, in Bristol and nationally, and I hope that going forward we will be able to work together in the local authority and trust sectors to continue to make a demonstrable impact.”
