A merger between academy trusts is one of the most significant moments in the life of either organisation.<\/p>\n
Get the communication right and you build confidence, retain staff and bring communities with you.<\/p>\n
Get it wrong and you\u2019ll find yourself managing uncertainty that good planning could have avoided. Here\u2019s what experience suggests you should and shouldn\u2019t do.<\/p>\n
The central rationale for the merger must be that children and staff will benefit.<\/p>\n
However, the why, how and when of communicating the details will differ. Parents, teaching staff, support staff, central team staff, governors and trustees will each filter the news through a different lens.<\/p>\n
Parents want to know what will change for their child. Colleagues want to know whether their jobs and departments are safe. Governors want to understand accountability structures and strategic direction.<\/p>\n
Write for each of them specifically, even though the underlying story is the same.<\/p>\n
They aren\u2019t and everyone knows it. If, for example, the professional development culture in each organisation looks different, say so.<\/p>\n
Staff on both sides will be watching for signs that leadership understands the challenges. Claiming a seamless cultural fit when the reality is inevitably more complex doesn\u2019t build confidence.<\/p>\n
Identify genuine common ground \u2013 a shared commitment to curriculum quality, or a similar approach to inclusion, for example.<\/p>\n
The coming together of trusts may be presented as a merger but feel \u2013 or actually be \u2013 a takeover.<\/p>\n
Double and triple-check your comms for sensitivity, humility and empathy on both sides as this can help prevent any escalation of ill feeling.<\/p>\n
It matters who finds out first. Staff should rarely hear significant news at the same time as \u2013 or after \u2013 parents. Governors need to be brought along well before any external announcement.<\/p>\n
Local authority contacts, union reps and key community figures may all warrant a conversation ahead of any formal communication.<\/p>\n
Map your stakeholder groups, rank them by sensitivity and work backwards from your planned announcement date.<\/p>\n
Rushed or poorly sequenced communication is one of the most common reasons trust mergers can get messy.<\/p>\n
Merger processes do not always run smoothly. Due diligence checks can throw up hurdles and possible unexpected delays.<\/p>\n
Keep those who need to know informed, but remember that most parents, pupils and staff are focused on their school rather than the organisation that runs it.<\/p>\n
The initial announcement is just the start of your communications. Silence gets filled with speculation In the weeks and months that follow.<\/p>\n
Build in regular check-ins. Staff briefings, governor updates, a simple FAQ that you keep updated. Even when there isn\u2019t much new to say, saying that clearly is better than saying nothing.<\/p>\n
The trusts that handle merger comms best aren\u2019t necessarily the slickest. They\u2019re the ones that plan carefully, respect their audiences and are openly realistic about the challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Get the communication right and you build confidence, retain staff and bring communities with you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":245539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"post-theme":[3562],"class_list":["post-245733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","post-theme-opinion-leadership"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t