MATPN FINANCE 2025 AGENDA

4 November 2025, DoubleTree Hilton, Tower Bridge, London

MATPN Finance is a focused, one-day learning and networking event that brings together the most innovative finance leaders and solution providers in the MAT sector.

Our agenda is carefully curated to address the most pressing financial challenges facing trusts today – from compliance and risk management to digital transformation, sustainability, and strategic planning across multi-site operations.

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Day 1

04 November 2025

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Main Room

Registration
9:00 am - 9:05 am

Main Room

Chair's opening remarks

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

As trusts face increasing scrutiny, greater financial risk, and growing operational complexity, this event is about taking a step back to rethink how we fund and manage the future of education.

From navigating ESFA regulation and ...

As trusts face increasing scrutiny, greater financial risk, and growing operational complexity, this event is about taking a step back to rethink how we fund and manage the future of education.

From navigating ESFA regulation and audit pressures to tackling cybersecurity threats, sustainability demands, and fluctuating pupil numbers, the financial landscape is more demanding than ever. This is a moment that calls for clarity, creativity, and shared strategy.

Over the course of today, you will hear from some of the most forward-thinking MAT leaders and policy voices – including the Department for Education – and explore practical solutions across areas like digital finance, data use, workforce wellbeing, and multi-site operations.

This is a day for honest discussion, peer learning, and bold thinking. We hope it equips you with the insight and connections needed to lead with confidence through financial uncertainty.
9:05 am - 9:45 am

Main Room

Opening keynote panel – Leading through the storm: strategic responses to unprecedented financial pressure and the growth imperative

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Lee Miller MBE

Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Thinking Schools Academy Trust

Warren Carratt

Chief Executive Officer
The Nexus MAT

John Hunt

Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer & Group Chief Financial Officer
London South East Academies Trust

Robert Gasson

Chief Executive
Wave Trust

Emma Wigmoore

Chief Executive Officer
The Vine Schools Trust

In 2025, MAT CEOs face a perfect storm: frozen per-pupil funding, spiralling SEND costs and cuts in local authorities’ services, plus an increase in child poverty and mental health. The current climate demands bold strategies to co...

In 2025, MAT CEOs face a perfect storm: frozen per-pupil funding, spiralling SEND costs and cuts in local authorities’ services, plus an increase in child poverty and mental health. The current climate demands bold strategies to conquer these pressures, boost efficiency and safeguard educational excellence. Our panellists discuss how to forge a path to financial stability and growth in a high-stakes climate.

Key takeaways:

Navigating the Current Financial Landscape: How MATs can navigate inflationary costs, salary increases not fully met by funding, declining pupil rolls impacting income and the increasing pressure on reserves.

Cost Control: Ways to identify and implement hidden cost savings, including optimising staffing costs through lean structures (keeping staffing below 75% of grant allocation), balancing remission (time or money) and streamlining SLTs and TLRs.

Optimal Operating Models: How to adapt your operating model to proactively respond to the highly challenging environment and thrive in a context of uncertainty.

Balancing Short-Term Survival with Long-Term Sustainability: How to make difficult decisions when facing immediate budget pressures while maintaining a long term vision.
9:45 am - 10:10 am

Main Room

Headline sponsor presentation - IMP Software

Interested in sponsoring?
10:15 am - 10:35 am

Main Room

Dragons' Den - Speed presentations

Our signature ‘Dragons’ Den’ session provides each solution provider with an opportunity to deliver a short pitch, explaining why they are here and how their services can help tackle some of the sector’s ongoing c...

Our signature ‘Dragons’ Den’ session provides each solution provider with an opportunity to deliver a short pitch, explaining why they are here and how their services can help tackle some of the sector’s ongoing challenges.
10:40 am - 11:30 am

Main Room

Networking and business meetings

15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
11:35 am - 12:05 pm

Main Room

Leaders panel – Forging unity in diversity: mastering centralisation while preserving local identity

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Stephen Barrett-Kinsley

Chief Operating Officer
Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

Dave Smith

Director of Procurement and Trust-wide Projects
Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust

James Ray

Chief Operating Officer
Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust

With 55–60% of MATs centralising IT, Finance and HR – the push for efficiency clashes with the need to maintain each school’s unique ethos. Rising costs, staff retention challenges and stricter DfE compliance demand bold strate...

With 55–60% of MATs centralising IT, Finance and HR – the push for efficiency clashes with the need to maintain each school’s unique ethos. Rising costs, staff retention challenges and stricter DfE compliance demand bold strategies to balance trust-wide cohesion with local identity. Drawing on experiences, panellists unpack how MATs achieve economies of scale while safeguarding what makes each school distinct in a high-stakes climate.

Key Takeaways:

Strategic Centralisation Choices: Ways to determine the optimal level of centralisation for IT, Finance, HR and Procurement to drive efficiency without eroding school autonomy.

Cultural Alignment for Success: How CEOs can lead the shift in mindset to align headteachers, staff and communities with a centralised vision.

Economies of Scale in Action: How MATs are using tailored AI solutions that honour each school’s unique character while also streamlining operations and thus cutting costs.

Building a Cohesive Trust Ethos: Our CEOs share their proven strategies to foster a unified MAT culture that respects diversity and ensures long-term resilience.
12:10 pm - 12:25 pm

Main Room

Reclaiming energy spend: how MATs turn costs into cashflow.

Mark Dolling

Strategic Development Director
eEnergy

This presentation shows how Multi Academy Trusts can unlock millions in savings by tackling energy waste. By switching to LED lighting and Solar PV through a fully funded model, MATs reduce costs and carbon with no upfront capital. Real-...

This presentation shows how Multi Academy Trusts can unlock millions in savings by tackling energy waste. By switching to LED lighting and Solar PV through a fully funded model, MATs reduce costs and carbon with no upfront capital. Real-world case studies prove the savings are substantial: from £30k in year one to over £1.5m in 20 years. With access to a £100m DfE-compliant funding facility, schools can future-proof estates, improve learning environments, and redirect budgets back into education. eEnergy also offers solar health checks to optimise existing systems and deliver long-term support.
12:30 pm - 12:45 pm

Main Room

Platinum sponsor presentation

Interested in sponsoring?
12:45 pm - 1:25 pm

Main Room

Networking lunch

An opportunity to connect with your peers and suppliers to talk over the learnings from the event. Lunch is served buffet style and a range of options are available to cater for different dietary requirements.
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Main Room

Leaders panel: could GAG pooling help optimise efficiencies and maximise impact?

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Sam Finch

Chief Finance and Operating Officer
Education Learning Trust

Emma Wigmoore

Chief Executive Officer
The Vine Schools Trust

Mo Chatra

Chief Finance and Operations Officer
Academy Transformation Trust

As financial pressures mount, GAG pooling is a debated strategy, with 20% of MATs pooling funds and 38% planning to follow, yet 51% facing resistance. With frozen per-pupil funding squeezing budgets, pooling offers a path to redistribute...

As financial pressures mount, GAG pooling is a debated strategy, with 20% of MATs pooling funds and 38% planning to follow, yet 51% facing resistance. With frozen per-pupil funding squeezing budgets, pooling offers a path to redistribute resources but raises concerns about transparency, accountability and efficacy.

Critics argue it fails to address root causes, reduces local agency for headteachers, lacks evidence of better outcomes compared to non-pooling MATs and allows discretionary reallocation of billions in public funds, sometimes across distant local authorities. Panellists will explore needs-based funding models, alternative approaches and the need for greater accountability to ensure equitable and transparent resource allocation.

Key Takeaways:

Debating GAG Pooling: Why are some MATs resistant? What alternatives are there?

Practical Steps for Implementation: Actionable strategies for rolling out pooling, from stakeholder consultation to equitable fund allocation, while addressing concerns about discretionary reallocation and ensuring transparency.

Needs-Based Funding in Practice: Ways to use data-driven models to target resources effectively, especially for schools hit by falling rolls and ways to evaluate their impact compared to non-pooling models.

Future-Proofing Through Equity: Assess whether pooling or alternative models strengthen MAT resilience, ensuring every school thrives amid 2025’s financial and demographic shifts.
2:05 pm - 2:40 pm

Main Room

Gold sponsor presentations

Interested in sponsoring?
2:45 pm - 3:35 pm

Main Room

Networking and business meetings

15 minute meetings with suppliers who are offering solutions most relevant to your challenges. Please check the schedule on the back of your delegate pass for your meeting timings.
3:40 pm - 4:00 pm

Main Room

Weathering the funding crisis: strategic forecasting and better reserves maintenance for long-term stability

Dr Simon Witham

Chief Executive Officer
Venn Academy Trust

MATs face a brutal funding landscape: 31% hold reserves below 5%, small MAT surpluses have crashed from £203,000 in 2022 to £1,000 in 2024 and frozen per-pupil funding battles a £2.3bn boost skewed toward SEND and pay. Stricter DfE ru...

MATs face a brutal funding landscape: 31% hold reserves below 5%, small MAT surpluses have crashed from £203,000 in 2022 to £1,000 in 2024 and frozen per-pupil funding battles a £2.3bn boost skewed toward SEND and pay. Stricter DfE rules add pressure to plan smarter, not harder. Drawing on their experience as resilient Mega MATs, our panellists reveal how robust forecasting and reserve management can secure stability amid uncertainty, ensuring MATs not only survive but invest in growth.

Key Takeaways:

Maintaining Your Reserves: Adequate revenue reserves can make or break a MAT in the face of uncertainty, how can you better invest yours?

Precision Forecasting Tools: A look at the tools and methodologies used by success MAT leaders to enhance forecasting accuracy, navigate volatile funding and pupil shifts.

Learning from Large MATs: How it’s possible to leverage scale for financial resilience, balancing immediate needs with long-term goals.

Strategic Resource Prioritisation: How to be more strategic in resource allocation and maximise impact despite SEND and pay-driven funding constraints.

Digital Transformation: How can technology support every aspect of trust strategy and operations in a resource-limited environment.
4:40 pm - 4:50 pm

Main Room

Reflections and next actions/commitments
4:50 pm - 5:30 pm

Main Room

Networking drinks reception
4:05 pm - 4:35 pm

Focus Group 1

Stretching your budget for student success – Q&A with Gavin Davies at the DfE

Gavin Davies

Deputy Director for Schools Financial Support and Oversight
Department of Education

Rising costs and static budgets are stretching MATs to their limits, with nearly half facing deficits that threaten resources for teaching and learning.

Join Gavin Davies, Deputy Director for Schools Financial Support and Oversigh...

Rising costs and static budgets are stretching MATs to their limits, with nearly half facing deficits that threaten resources for teaching and learning.

Join Gavin Davies, Deputy Director for Schools Financial Support and Oversight at the DfE, to explore practical tools and strategies for making your budget work harder. Ask Gavin the questions you’d like answers to and learn how the DfE supports MATs through direct funding, the National Funding Formula, capital investment and the MAT Assurance Framework to help trusts optimise financial health.
4:05 pm - 4:35 pm

Focus Group 2

Re-engaging vulnerable learners: blending inclusive ethos with sustainable financial strategies

Robert Gasson

Chief Executive
Wave Trust

Explore how Wave Trust, led by CEO Rob Gasson, transforms the lives of pupils excluded from mainstream education through a unique ethos of inclusion and personalised learning.

Discover strategies to integrate this compassionate ap...

Explore how Wave Trust, led by CEO Rob Gasson, transforms the lives of pupils excluded from mainstream education through a unique ethos of inclusion and personalised learning.

Discover strategies to integrate this compassionate approach with robust financial planning to ensure sustainability.
Learn how Wave balances bespoke educational programs for alternative provision and medical academies with cost-effective resource allocation.

Gain insights into fostering stakeholder collaboration, leveraging partnerships for funding, and embedding mindfulness and wellbeing to reduce dropout rates, all while maintaining financial resilience across diverse school settings.
4:05 pm - 4:35 pm

Focus Group 3

Smart finances: building resilience and thrive, not only survive

Lee Miller MBE

Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Thinking Schools Academy Trust

In the face of growing financial pressures across the education sector, schools must be equipped not just to survive, but to lead with confidence and clarity. In this session, Lee Miller MBE from Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT) sha...

In the face of growing financial pressures across the education sector, schools must be equipped not just to survive, but to lead with confidence and clarity. In this session, Lee Miller MBE from Thinking Schools Academy Trust (TSAT) shares a 10-point financial plan that has delivered savings £4.3 million worth of savings across the Trust. Designed to support school and trust leaders in navigating financial challenges, the plan positions organisations to lead from the front with resilience and purpose.

Lee will offer practical guidance on how to implement key financial strategies, build resilience and embed a culture of informed financial decision-making across different levels of stakeholders. Whether you’re a school business leader, headteacher, or trust executive, this session will provide direction to help your school or Trust remain mission-focused and financially secure during uncertain times.

Day 1

MATPN FINANCE 2025 AGENDA

4 November 2025, DoubleTree Hilton, Tower Bridge, London

MATPN Finance is a focused, one-day learning and networking event that brings together the most innovative finance leaders and solution providers in the MAT sector.

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

MATPN FINANCE 2025 AGENDA

04 November 2025

8:00 am - 9:00 am

Main Room

Registration

9:00 am - 9:05 am

Main Room

Chair's opening remarks

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer Victorious Academies Trust

9:05 am - 9:45 am

Main Room

Opening keynote panel – Leading through the storm: strategic responses to unprecedented financial pressure and the growth imperative

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer Victorious Academies Trust

Lee Miller MBE

Chief Financial and Operating Officer Thinking Schools Academy Trust

Warren Carratt

Chief Executive Officer The Nexus MAT

John Hunt

Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer & Group Chief Financial Officer London South East Academies Trust

Robert Gasson

Chief Executive Wave Trust

Emma Wigmoore

Chief Executive Officer The Vine Schools Trust

9:45 am - 10:10 am

Main Room

Headline sponsor presentation - IMP Software

10:15 am - 10:35 am

Main Room

Dragons' Den - Speed presentations

10:40 am - 11:30 am

Main Room

Networking and business meetings

11:35 am - 12:05 pm

Main Room

Leaders panel – Forging unity in diversity: mastering centralisation while preserving local identity

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer Victorious Academies Trust

Stephen Barrett-Kinsley

Chief Operating Officer Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

Dave Smith

Director of Procurement and Trust-wide Projects Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust

James Ray

Chief Operating Officer Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust

12:10 pm - 12:25 pm

Main Room

Reclaiming energy spend: how MATs turn costs into cashflow.

Mark Dolling

Strategic Development Director eEnergy

12:30 pm - 12:45 pm

Main Room

Platinum sponsor presentation

12:45 pm - 1:25 pm

Main Room

Networking lunch

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm

Main Room

Leaders panel: could GAG pooling help optimise efficiencies and maximise impact?

Karen Burns

Chief Executive Officer Victorious Academies Trust

Sam Finch

Chief Finance and Operating Officer Education Learning Trust

Emma Wigmoore

Chief Executive Officer The Vine Schools Trust

Mo Chatra

Chief Finance and Operations Officer Academy Transformation Trust

2:05 pm - 2:40 pm

Main Room

Gold sponsor presentations

2:45 pm - 3:35 pm

Main Room

Networking and business meetings

3:40 pm - 4:00 pm

Main Room

Weathering the funding crisis: strategic forecasting and better reserves maintenance for long-term stability

Dr Simon Witham

Chief Executive Officer Venn Academy Trust

4:40 pm - 4:50 pm

Main Room

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Thinking Schools Academy Trust

Chief Executive Officer
The Nexus MAT

Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer & Group Chief Financial Officer
London South East Academies Trust

Chief Executive
Wave Trust

Chief Executive Officer
The Vine Schools Trust

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Chief Operating Officer
Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust

Director of Procurement and Trust-wide Projects
Osborne Co-operative Academy Trust

Chief Operating Officer
Rainbow Education Multi Academy Trust

Strategic Development Director
eEnergy

Chief Executive Officer
Victorious Academies Trust

Chief Finance and Operating Officer
Education Learning Trust

Chief Executive Officer
The Vine Schools Trust

Chief Finance and Operations Officer
Academy Transformation Trust

Chief Executive Officer
Venn Academy Trust

Deputy Director for Schools Financial Support and Oversight
Department of Education

Chief Executive
Wave Trust

Chief Financial and Operating Officer
Thinking Schools Academy Trust