Developing participant engagement within a MAT to empower senior leaders within schools and across the Trust

The thesis examines how a new multi-academy trust (MAT) facilitates the use of participatory engagement (Woods, 2004) within and across a group of schools through working with leadership teams. More specifically the study reviews how democratic leadership (Liggett, 2025) can be applied to adapt the MAT operating model to increase participation of senior leaders in decision making, to impact positively on their relationships and role (Myers, 1993). This element of the research challenges and seeks solutions to the top-down model of decision making inherent in MAT structures (Woods and Simkins, 2014:42) which are unsuitable for a multisite organisation. To this end the research study questions how the process of empowerment (Herrenkohl, 1999) can enable senior leader contribution and collaboration for improvement, to support the strategic development of each school and the Trust. The research is presented from an insider perspective of a researcher, who is also the CEO of the MAT. This study applies an ethnographic methodology framed within an interpretivist approach over the phases of the MAT’s development. A range of qualitative methods, including semi-structured interviews and focus groups were used to capture participant voices, on their leadership journey where roles and responsibilities changed, alongside the MAT’s growth and development. A Foucauldian lens was applied to the analyse of data collected, focusing on the elements connected to power, which provided a useful tool of analysis. The findings highlight how MAT operating models can be adapted to facilitate democratic leadership, while being flexible to respond to changing neoliberal agendas. The research study highlights ways senior leaders can make a significant contribution to the strategic development of a MAT and build a strong culture of interconnectedness (Kaplan and Owings, 2013). Further, there is evidence of how senior leaders use these supportive MAT structures to strategically respond to government agendas and align this to the agreed vision for the MAT. However, the findings highlight the need for clarification on future government policy direction in a diverse education system particularly at a local level. This study offers an original contribution to knowledge in the leadership field within a multi-site setting and adds to the existing understanding of leadership in multi-academy trusts (MATs), particularly the senior leaders to make a significant contribution in the leadership of an organisation.