More than half of academy trust CEOs are considering cuts to teacher numbers to balance the books, a major survey suggests.

The poll, carried out by the Confederation of School Trusts (CST) - the sector body for multi-academy trusts - shows 54 per cent of trusts are considering reducing overall teacher numbers.

Some 60 per cent of school trusts are considering reducing teaching assistant hours as school budgets come under increasing pressure, according to the survey of nearly 400 trust chief executives. School support staff are also under review in 44 per cent of trusts surveyed.

Larger trusts - those with 20 or more schools - were most likely to report that they are planning a reduction in teaching assistants to mitigate financial pressures next year. The CST said 76 per cent of CEOs in these trusts reported this.

Only 37 per cent of single-school trusts are planning a reduction in teaching assistant hours, according to the survey.

MATs considering job cuts

A third of trusts are looking at school leadership changes, and 20 per cent are looking to reduce trust support and leadership posts, the research shows. Nearly half of trusts with more than 20 schools are considering cuts to trust and school leadership staffing.

Although the survey suggests that trust leaders are slightly more confident about financial sustainability than they were a year ago, balancing budgets (cited by 84 per cent of respondents) and cost reduction (69 per cent) remain the top financial priorities.

More than three-quarters of trust CEOs said they remained focused on improving the quality of education, particularly inclusivity for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Attendance is a key priority for 64 per cent of trusts, the survey shows. Leaders reported that targeted interventions for at-risk pupils, monitoring and tracking, and parental engagement are the policies most likely to have an impact.

Trust leaders also said that narrowing the disadvantage-related attainment gap (50 per cent) and assessment (45 per cent) are key areas for improvement.

Wraparound care for students has become increasingly important for trusts, with 97 per cent of the trusts surveyed offering some form of activity before or after school, with a mix of free and paid-for food and activities.

At the same time, two-thirds of trusts are looking at artificial intelligence to transform how they work - twice as many as last year. This includes using AI to minute meetings, analyse data and generate policies and reports.

Also in the survey, 59 per cent of trust leaders said they are expecting to add schools in the next year - and most of them expect to open or add three schools. One in six trusts is considering a merger with another trust.

CST chief executive Leora Cruddas said: “Improving education on behalf of children is the mission that drives trusts forward, but that work depends on the same things as any large organisation: funding, people and our ways of working.

“For the second year, financial sustainability has emerged as the top priority for school trust leaders in our annual survey. While inflationary pressures have lessened slightly, more than four in five trusts tell us they are looking at reductions in staffing and reducing costs, as well as innovating using emerging new technologies to save staff time.

“This is all change with a purpose: to continue the mission of trusts to build an always-improving, brilliant education system for our children.”

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