Big Education<\/a> was launched in 2018 by current CEO Liz Robinson and Peter Hyman. Hyman is a former adviser to Tony Blair and more recently to Keir Starmer in opposition.<\/p>\nIts academies include Surrey Square Primary, which hasn\u2019t permanently excluded a pupil in almost two decades, and School 21, a free school torchbearer for progressive values that was co-founded by Hyman and Oli de Botton, who is now the prime minister\u2019s education adviser.<\/p>\n
Scaling Big’s work<\/h3>\n Big Education chief Liz Robinson said the move will help her trust \u201cgrow an approach to education that we know makes a real difference – one that goes beyond academic outcomes and focuses on the whole child\u201d.<\/p>\n
She added: “Our model has been developed and tested through our schools and professional programmes, and the evidence of its impact is clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoining with Oasis gives us the opportunity to scale that work, while protecting what makes it distinctive.”<\/p>\n
Speaking last year, Robinson said her trust decided to merge three years ago as \u201cthree schools is too small to run a MAT\u201d. The Oasis connection came after she met Barneby at an event in 2024.<\/p>\n
While Oasis was \u201cnot actively pursuing growth\u201d, Barneby said his \u201cears pricked up\u201d when he realised the trusts shared the view that \u201cthere is more value to education than just exam results. They\u2019re really important, they\u2019re a key aspect, but education does a lot more than that\u2026beyond the headlines.\u201d<\/p>\n
DfE’s merger ‘interest’<\/h3>\n He also said the DfE was taking an \u201cinterest\u201d in the move, with officials identifying the \u201coperational scale and efficiencies\u201d it could bring.<\/p>\n
At the time, Barneby could not rule out redundancies but said the goal is to \u201cpreserve the nature and character\u201d of Big Education.<\/p>\n
Today, the MATs said the government’s decision followed “a period of consultation with staff and stakeholders, whose valued feedback has informed the approach and will continue to play an important role as the two trusts prepare for the next phase of their shared journey”.<\/p>\n
It is expected Robinson will move into a new role focused on \u201cgrowing\u201d her organisation\u2019s projects across Oasis.<\/p>\n
The merger is set to be completed in September.<\/p>\n
Only four other trusts will have more schools on their books – United Learning, REAch2, Delta Academies Trust and St Gabriel the Archangel Catholic MAT.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The London trust decided to join forces with another MAT after deciding 'three schools is too small'<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":311204,"featured_media":245169,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[32],"post-theme":[2381],"class_list":["post-245159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-academies","post-theme-academies"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t