School has gone down since doing a Trust

[Fluffymarshmallow]

DC's school joined a trust 12+ months ago, and since then, it seems to have declined. I rarely had to contact the school, but since the head left and various staff members—many long-term, loyal members—departed, I find myself contacting them more often. Is this what happens when a school joins a trust? I was always led to believe it was a good thing, but it seems they are struggling, and staff morale is down. I have no idea what the difference was for staff before and after the change. I am concerned because my youngest child is due to start this September, and I am now considering other schools. Should we stick with them in the hope that it improves, is it just a matter of time? Does anyone have experience of their school joining and how long it took to settle down?

The schools I am Governor at have certainly improved since they joined a Trust but that may well be down to a new SLT who are great.
I think a lot of teachers are very stressed and a big change like that may be the push they need to leave the profession altogether or make a move to a new school.
I am sure that its not for the better in all cases but our 2 schools were failing and in Special Measures and now are completey full and attainment has gone up

Our school joined a trust and has similarly declined :(
We were promised better funding and the place is falling apart, there is more paperwork than ever and loads of mandatory courses but what we can offer the children seems less than ever. We are two years in and no one feels that it is an improvement sadly, and a fair number of dedicated staff have left.
It may be that eventually the senior leadership team will get their act together, but so far still waiting!

I think it’s much less about being in a trust (though I don’t personally agree with them as a concept), and much more about management and leadership.

My dc are in academy trust schools (primary and secondary). I think the primary is excellent. It’s a really lovely school. And the secondary is fine. It is a huge school that pulls students from a very wide area that is quite rural and not exactly affluent. We’ve generally been quite happy with it, though there are behavioural issues that haven’t affected us but are definitely there. There’s definitely a lot of entitlement and poor parenting (little Johnny can’t possibly be expected not to kick off in class because of ‘insert entitled reason’). But we haven’t had any issues, and that’s every big school isn’t it? Dh says he had more issues with violence and behavioural issues at his very posh boarding school, so it’s not just because it’s a Trust school for all us peasants. 😂

But yes, I do think poor leadership and high staff turnover can cause an assortment of issues that rumble on for sometime. I do find the Academy Trust very ‘corporate’ (because it is), which irritates me, but it’s certainly better than the CofE non-Trust schools where we used to live.

It is probably staff leaving. Often when schoolsvare taken over the new leadership bring in big changes. Some will be able to bring staff with them. Some don't. The high turnover shies that staff ate unhappy often with the leadership. It isn't a good sign.

Trusts are often just a method of enriching the directors rather than improving schools. There are better and worse versions but all extract funding to pay senior managers.

Big trusts often bully teachers so the good ones who can leave. Successive governments for some reason keep pushing this model despite the facts standards are shown to decline and its more expensive as the trust takes 5% of all income. Some trusts for example make all teachers teach the same content from the same power points. What a terrible future our children face if this is allowed to continue.

Trusts are very different from each other.

If the school has joined a trust and the trust is making major changes (which you will not necessarily see immediately as parents) then it's common for staff to leave.

Thank you to everyone for your contributions it is interesting to hear a broad view of it. I understand every Trust is different but there is just something about this, especially the staff who have left. I'd heard of a particular TA who was a godsend to the staff happy in her job and had been there many years was bullied into leaving by the new leadership team. The school was an overall Good with some Outstading rated and the Head who left did a lot the school. It just feels like there is no major improvements.

Very interesting to read the views of ‘a governor’. You won’t have a clue about the bullying and stress that staff are being put under, not a clue. You’ll be groomed by the new trust like everyone else.

Trusts want the staff to work to their model. Often, long established effective staff don’t fit the concept and the mould, so they’re often the first to leave or are managed out.

That’s destabilising for everyone.

No I am not/will not be "groomed", what an odd things to say. And why put Governor in speech marks?
I DO know that both schools have gone from failing ones that people avoided to ones with waiting lists.
Both schools are not without problems but thats mostly due to socio economic factors

I think schools are the same as companies, when things start to go wrong and morale goes down the best people leave first. If the best teachers are leaving, I would choose another school.

Does anybody know how the school became a Trust? For example, as our head teacher left, was she the driving force behind it before she left, as she knew she was retiring? Would that decision have been taken out of her hands by the governors (or other powers that be) prompting her to leave?

Our headteacher left as the school transitioned after a six-month handover, and subsequently, one of the deputy heads also left. The other deputy became the new head of school with the executive head.