MAT Leaders Conference 2021

Andrew Blench is the former School Business Manager for Dinnington High School in Rotherham. He has been an SBM since 2003 and in 2016 set up his consultancy company – School Business Partner. Andrew is currently a School Resource Management Advisor (SRMA) for the DfE, a Facilitator/Assessor/Coach for the L4 SBM Diploma with SBM Partnership and a Leadership and Management Coach. He has extensive experience in advising academies and LA Maintained Schools in the area of effective resource management, leadership and management and governance.

Since 2010 Brendan has undertaken virtually every type of legal matter that can affect Academies. He has created, transferred, closed down, grown and restructured MAT’s, PRU’s, SEN Academies, and Single Academy Trusts and resolved complex funding and strategy issues working with Academies and the DfE, EFA and LAs.

Ernest is the CEO of Edurio. He is a frequent public speaker in the UK and internationally on effective use of stakeholder feedback in schools and has published research on student feedback and assessment. Ernest leads Edurio’s policy guidance and has advised a number of education systems as well as participated in policy debates with the OECD and European Commission. Ernest holds a degree in Decision Science from the University of Manchester.

Graham is one of the country’s foremost legal authorities in the education sector having advised in this field since 1999. He was also one of the first lawyers in the country to advise on the academies programme following its launch by the Labour government in 2002. Since then he has advised extensively on sponsored and school converter academies across all phases and types of provision including primary, secondary, all-through, special, alternative and hospital provision, Church academies, co-operative academies, schemes with PFI and/or BSF arrangements and Multi Academy Trusts (“MATs”). He has also advised extensively on academy transfers between MATs, the conversion of Single Academy Trusts (“SATs”) into MATs and the merger of SATs and MATs. Graham’s experience also spans an extensive range of MATs including for any combination of primary, secondary, special, alternative and hospital provision, Church and non-Church academies where he has advised on their academy conversions and transfers and their operational and strategic requirements. Graham also advises maintained schools and individual academies on their legal requirements and has advised on free schools, studio schools, schools PFI and university student accommodation, having also advised universities, further education and sixth form colleges and independent schools.

Matt Bromley is an education writer and advisor with over twenty years’ experience in teaching and leadership including as a secondary school headteacher and principal, FE college vice principal, and MAT director. He also works as a public speaker, trainer, and school improvement lead, and is a primary school governor. Matt writes for various newspapers and magazines, sits on SecEd’s editorial board and co-hosts their podcast. He is the author of numerous best-selling books for teachers and his education blog has been voted one of the UK’s most influential. He regularly speaks at national and international conferences and events, and provides education advice to charities, government agencies, training providers, colleges and multi-academy trusts. He works as a consultant and trainer with several companies and also provides a wide selection of direct-to-market consultancy and training services through his own company, Bromley Education, which he founded in 2012. Matt has worked at senior levels in the public and private sectors and, prior to teaching, was a senior manager in the telecoms industry. He began his working life in newspaper journalism. He has an Honours degree in English Language and Literature, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education and the National Professional Qualification for Headship, as well as several professional qualifications.

Stephen has a 20-year career history in operations and finance, working at a senior level in the public and private sectors, both in the UK and abroad. Stephen presided over the development and implementation of nationally recognised school business leadership professional standards and led the transition from the National Association of School Business Management to the Institute of School Business Leadership. Stephen works closely with the Department for Education in areas of policy reform, and his commitment to research to aid our self-improving system includes ongoing engagement with international jurisdictions including Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the US.