Key priorities and challenges for trusts in 2025/26

National CST School Trust Report 2025

The fourth annual School Trust Report will highlight how the education landscape for school trusts has evolved in the past year. It will look at what trusts are prioritising for the next academic year and what challenges leaders across England anticipate.

Inside, you’ll find the newest statistics and expert commentary on:

• Ethical Leadership: See what priorities, changes and challenges CEOs anticipate for the 2025/26 academic year.
• Quality of Education: Find out how trusts intend to tackle SEND, attendance and behaviour challenges, whilst continuing to improve outcomes for pupils.
• Financial Sustainability: Discover priorities around school budgets, reserves, cost management and more.
• Digital Strategy: Learn how trusts are using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the staff and pupil experience.
• Workforce Wellbeing: See key priorities around culture, retention, staff benefits and HR processes.
• School Improvement: Uncover how trusts achieve excellence across multiple schools.
• Strategic Governance: Explore trends in trust structure and governance models.

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Revisit key priorities and challenges for trusts in 2023/24

The third annual report uncovers the key priorities and challenges facing trusts across the country and provides practical, data-driven guidance for addressing them.

Inside, you’ll find valuable insights and expert commentary on:

• Ethical Leadership: See how CEOs tackle new pressures while focusing on pupil outcomes.
• Financial Sustainability: Insights into managing budgets, reserves, and growth.
• Workforce Wellbeing: Strategies for recruitment, retention, and flexible working.
• School Improvement: How trusts achieve excellence across multiple schools.
• Strategic Governance: Explore evolving governance models and stronger accountability.

The report offers actionable strategies and benchmarks to help your trust thrive in an evolving educational landscape.

You can also download the National CST School Trust Report 2024 infographic to unlock key insights at a glance.

Priorities and challenges for trusts 2022/23

In June 2023, 395 trust accounting officers across England – the senior leader directly responsible to Parliament for their trust – shared their voices with the sector body, the Confederation of School Trusts.

The second annual report uncovers the top priorities for trusts nationally.

Inside, you will find key facts, insights and expert commentary on:

• Current challenges: financial sustainability and growth
• Future priorities: improving the quality of education and workforce development
• Strong and resilient trust insights, governance and accountability, and system leadership and civic responsibility

One of the key findings was that multi-academy trusts are worried about financial stability. Read the TES article here or access the full findings from the 2023 report.