As pupil numbers decline and financial pressures intensify, many trusts are questioning whether traditional pupil-led funding models are still fit for purpose. In this session, one of the UK’s highest-performing primary MATs will share how a fundamentally different approach to school funding and operational delivery has enabled every academy in the trust to achieve above-national outcomes while continuing to grow. Discover how understanding the true cost of running schools, rather than simply allocating funding based on pupil numbers, has transformed decision-making, improved efficiency, strengthened educational outcomes, and enabled greater investment back into teaching and learning through an in-house operational model. Attendees will gain practical insights into building financially resilient trusts, challenging assumptions around centralisation, and lessons learned from implementing change at scale.