HeyJaredThe MAT Unpacked
Welcome to The MAT Unpacked, the podcast that opens up what “good” really looks like in multi-academy trusts.Hosted by Chris Whiting from Academy Advisory, each episode brings you honest and open conversations with trust leaders, auditors and specialists who’ve been there,…
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 3
- Latest publication
- Sep 9, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 8, 2026
Latest episodes
When Ofsted Knocks and Things Go Wrong: Jo Harper on Rebuilding Culture, Capacity and Trust (opens the original)
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Episode 7 - When Ofsted Knocks and Things Go Wrong: Jo Harper on Rebuilding Culture, Capacity and Trust In this episode of The MAT Unpacked, Ed Nell and Chris Whiting from Academy Advisory visit Activate Learning Education Trust to meet CEO Jo Harper - a leader with a frank and powerful story to tell. Jo talks openly about the 2023 Ofsted inspection at UTC Reading, the personal and professional weight of that moment, and the deliberate, long term approach to rebuilding. Key Takeaways Culture is
It Takes a Village: Kerry Watson and the Footprints Family Charity (opens the original)
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In this episode of The MAT Unpacked, Ed Nell and Chris Whiting take a different kind of conversation - one that steps outside the UK education system entirely to hear the story of Kerry Watson, founder of Footprints Family, a UK registered charity operating a school and children's home in the rural hills of Shimba Hills, Kenya. Kerry shares how a volunteer trip in 2007, a piece of land bought for 500 pounds and 18 years of relentless determination have built a fully functioning school serving ov
Building Capacity for Effective MAT Leadership (opens the original)
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In this episode of The MAT Unpacked, host Ed Nell is joined by Chris Whiting from Academy Advisory and Jo Harper, Chief Executive of Activate Learning Education Trust, to explore what it really takes to build leadership capacity across a Multi Academy Trust. The conversation looks at the balance between centralisation and empowerment, the importance of culture, and how trusts can develop leaders from within. Jo also reflects openly on the difficult journey following UTC Reading’s challenging Ofs
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