Leading trust mergers | Confederation of School Trusts

Key principles and practice for driving secure and successful growth

Successfully merging trusts goes beyond technical, operational, and legal integration - it’s about building a shared vision, aligning cultures, and ensuring your new trust is equipped for long-term success.

This masterclass is designed for executive leaders and trustees who are considering, currently undergoing, or have recently completed a merger. Whether you’re exploring strategic options, are in the midst of integration, or seeking to maximise the organisational benefits of a completed merger, this programme provides essential guidance and peer insight.

Who is it for?

Trust executive leaders: CEO’s, COOs, CFOs and People/HR Directors
Trustees

How you will benefit

You will gain:

An understanding of the steps to take before a merger including identifying your core drivers, selecting the right trusts and schools based on strategic and cultural alignment and values, working with the DfE, conducting due diligence that extends beyond legal and premises matters, planning for change, and engaging your community throughout the process.
Clarification of the roles of the executive and the trust boards in a merger – and how both work effectively together to create strategic and operational clarity
Insight into creating a compelling vision and operating model for the merged trust – whether that is pre- or post-merger.
Practical strategies to optimise the newly merged organisation for success – from designing central team structures and governance to driving effective school improvement.
Real-world stories from trust leaders who have experienced mergers – including their successes, setbacks, and the lessons they wish they’d known.

Course overview

This course explores some proven design and leadership principles that can help executive and governance leaders in achieving successful trust mergers. Legal due diligence is generally well understood and supported in our sector, so is not covered. Our focus is, instead, on the strategic, operational and relational aspects of leading trusts through complex programmes of change and how the success or larger, merged trusts, is supported and evidenced.

Seminar 1: Pre-merger

The first seminar will explore:

Identifying your reasons for considering merger
The merger dividend - selecting the right trusts and schools based on strategic alignment and values (due diligence which goes beyond legal and financial)
The role of the trust board in mergers
Stakeholder and community engagement