Read Our Story
MATFMA began with a small group of trust finance professionals searching for something that didn't exist, an honest, peer-led space to share experience, ask real questions, and learn from people facing the same pressures. What started as a handful of conversations has grown into a national network connecting professionals committed to raising standards across the sector.
Our Vision
We want to see a MAT sector where finance professionals are no longer isolated, where commercial confidence is recognised alongside educational expertise, and professional collaboration drives better leadership across the entire system.
Bridging Finance and Educational Leadership
Across schools and multi-academy trusts, educational finance shapes every strategic decision, from staffing structures and curriculum delivery to long-term sustainability. Yet too often, financial expertise and educational leadership operate in parallel rather than in partnership. MATFMA was created to bridge that divide.
We believe educational finance should be understood, valued and embedded at the heart of leadership. It is not just compliance or reporting, it is a strategic lever for improving outcomes for children.
When leaders understand funding, budgeting and financial planning, they make stronger, more sustainable decisions. MATFMA makes educational finance clearer, more accessible and aligned with school improvement.
Our model is simple, we offer three core strands each strengthening professional support functions to empower schools and improve outcomes for learners
Leadership Development in Educational Finance
We elevate finance professionals into strategic leaders, confident communicators who align budgets with educational priorities and strengthen executive decision-making.
Standardised Financial Models and Methodologies
MATFMA provides practical financial models and methodologies to improve collaboration across trusts, developing consistent frameworks that improve forecasting, transparency and long-term planning.
Collaboration and Community
We create professional networks that bring together those working in educational finance with senior leaders across the sector, sharing best practice and building strong partnerships across the system.
Educational finance should never sit behind closed doors
When educational leaders understand funding models, budget constraints, and resource allocation, the whole team makes better decisions. Finance stops being a report that lands at the end of the month and starts being a shared language for running the trust well. That's what we're building toward.
The MATFMA Community Charter
MATFMA was built on one belief: that finance professionals in the MAT sector are stronger together. This charter sets out what we all commit to, not because we have been told to, but because we understand what makes this community worth being part of.
We operate with professional generosity. Share what you know, even when it took years to learn it. Answer questions without judgement and offer feedback without ego. There are no silly questions here, every question is a sign of someone who cares enough to ask. If you can help a peer, do it. That is what this community runs on.
We engage with honesty and respect. Challenge and debate is welcome, in fact, we consider it essential. But we challenge ideas, not people. Feedback should be constructive and offered in the spirit of improvement. Extend the same professional courtesy here that you would expect in any senior leadership setting.
Everything shared here is confidential. What is discussed stays here. Members may share insight from their own experience but do not identify individuals or organisations without permission. Candid conversation only happens when people trust it will not leave the room. We take that seriously, and we expect every member to do the same.
We are here to build something that matters. Too many finance leaders in this sector have had to figure things out alone. The value of this community is exactly proportional to what its members put in. We are glad you are here, and we are counting on you.
Ready to join the community?
The community is free to join and built around the people inside it. Every member who applies is reviewed by our team; because quality of conversation matters more than scale.
Join the community