How to talk to families and staff about merging trusts

Get the communication right and you build confidence, retain staff and bring communities with you. 

A merger between academy trusts is one of the most significant moments in the life of either organisation.

Get the communication right and you build confidence, retain staff and bring communities with you.

Get it wrong and you’ll find yourself managing uncertainty that good planning could have avoided. Here’s what experience suggests you should and shouldn’t do.

Develop a core narrative, then adapt it

The central rationale for the merger must be that children and staff will benefit.

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.

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.

Write for each of them specifically, even though the underlying story is the same.

Don’t pretend the two trusts are identical

They aren’t and everyone knows it. If, for example, the professional development culture in each organisation looks different, say so.

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’t build confidence.

Identify genuine common ground – a shared commitment to curriculum quality, or a similar approach to inclusion, for example.

Address the elephant in the room

The coming together of trusts may be presented as a merger but feel – or actually be – a takeover.

Double and triple-check your comms for sensitivity, humility and empathy on both sides as this can help prevent any escalation of ill feeling.

Think carefully about sequencing

It matters who finds out first. Staff should rarely hear significant news at the same time as – or after – parents. Governors need to be brought along well before any external announcement.

Local authority contacts, union reps and key community figures may all warrant a conversation ahead of any formal communication.

Map your stakeholder groups, rank them by sensitivity and work backwards from your planned announcement date.

Rushed or poorly sequenced communication is one of the most common reasons trust mergers can get messy.

Prepare for turbulence

Merger processes do not always run smoothly. Due diligence checks can throw up hurdles and possible unexpected delays.

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.

Don’t go quiet after the launch

The initial announcement is just the start of your communications. Silence gets filled with speculation In the weeks and months that follow.

Build in regular check-ins. Staff briefings, governor updates, a simple FAQ that you keep updated. Even when there isn’t much new to say, saying that clearly is better than saying nothing.

The trusts that handle merger comms best aren’t necessarily the slickest. They’re the ones that plan carefully, respect their audiences and are openly realistic about the challenges.

This blog by Jessica Shepherd and Linda Tanner was first published in Schools Week: https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-to-talk-to-families-and-staff-about-merging-trusts/

If you would like support with crisis communications or reputation management for your school, academy trust, college or EdTech company, Contact: jessica@sparrowhawkcommunications.com