Education: why efficiency and sustainability are everything in 2025

John Murphy has spent the last ten years as CEO of one of the largest trusts in the UK and now works to support those in the same position across the country. In this article, he explains the pivotal roles of efficiency and sustainability in schools and MATs.

Every leader in every MAT and school around the country constantly considers how they can deliver the best for children and young people.

It’s right at the top of their list.

But we need to achieve this with one eye on our finances.

Operationally, financial mismanagement results in staffing issues, poor SEND provision, crowded classrooms and a lack of resources and infrastructure. Consequently, your school or MAT might find itself under heavy regulatory scrutiny or even be restructured beyond recognition.

Your focus, then, is on sustainability and efficiency first, just like any other organisation.

Of course, how you achieve success in this area is very different in our sector.

Where sustainability and efficiency make all the difference

After serving the education sector for the last 37 years, I have noticed some very real, pressing, and compelling challenges across the education system.

What underscores many of these challenges is a lack of available finances.

These challenges have been particularly laid bare following the pandemic, which has made our society's inequities even more transparent. For example, right now, we’re seeing the largest ever disadvantage gap among our pupils by the time they reach Year 11.

Here are some mission-critical areas where sustainability and efficiency will help rectify and improve such pupil outcomes.

What's the key to financial sustainability in schools & trusts?

Read the guide

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Attendance

As a mentor, working alongside many CEOs across the country on a day-to-day basis, I see first-hand the great work that many school leaders are doing.

Front and centre of what they do is making schools happy places where children and young people thrive, belong, and enjoy learning.

However, despite all this great work, attendance and persistent absence remain a stubborn problem. The only way to tackle this is to ensure that schools and MATs build in the financial capacity and agility to implement more intensive support for vulnerable families.

Staffing

Schools are places of nurture, and that means consistent staff/pupil relationships thanks to consistent staffing. 

However, we are currently facing a crisis, with huge numbers of workers leaving the sector. Trying to retain these staff costs money because great people deserve consistent pay rises; meanwhile, losing these staff costs more when you factor in agency fees and competitive wages.

But what if we can save money on recruiting and use it to bring passion and pride back into our profession so that – despite the pressure of Ofsted and sector regulation – our schools and MATS regain their rightful place as top career destinations?

SEND provision

There isn’t a leader I work with who doesn't mention on a day-to-day basis the incoming numbers of children with undiagnosed needs – and where there aren't sufficient places nearby for those children who have gone through the statementing process.

Schools, due to a lack of financial agility and capacity, can’t serve these children in the way they know they deserve.

The future – and its hidden costs

In the future, leaders will need to address the challenges and opportunities of growth arising in a more intelligently designed MAT-driven sector, where mergers and acquisitions are becoming more common.

The declining birth rate

Leaders must also consider the sustainability issues arising in the primary sector due to a 7% reduction in the number of primary-aged children entering the system. This reduction requires leaders to plan for pupil places effectively.

What's the secret to efficiencies and sustainability in schools?

Find out in our webinar - live or on demand

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The good news

Despite these challenges, there are demonstrably effective practices within our sector that ensure you can save money and use it where it’s needed. I know MAT and school leaders who are implementing impactful strategies that enhance sustainability and efficiency – and their success proves that no matter how restrained a budget might feel, something can be done.

And now’s the perfect time to start bringing this best practice together from across the sector.

Join our roundtable

I’m delighted to chair a roundtable discussion being organised by IRIS Education.

It is going to bring school and MAT leaders together to share the latest ideas and strategies for how we can create the best efficiency and sustainability within our organisations.

Join us, live or on demand.

About the webinar

Date: 20 March 2025

Time: 14:00 - 15:00 GMT

Duration: 60 mins

Speakers

John Murphy – Former CEO of Oasis Community Learning & Education Leadership Mentor

Jeff Marshall – School Governor & MD of J&G Marshall Ltd

Jesse White – CFO at Orion Education Trust

Danielle Lewis-Egonu – CEO at Cygnus Academies Trust

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