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Six months ago I swapped the airport lounges of international education for the classrooms of a North London trust, moving from senior international director at Wellington College International to CEO of Saracens Multi-Academy Trust.

On the surface, the two organisations have little in common. Wellington College International schools sit across eight time zones in the premium sector of selective international education.

Saracens MAT is three schools 15 minutes apart serving the community in Colindale, where 60 per cent of the pupils attending Saracens High School are eligible for free school meals.

Yet the stark differences in context hide many of the things that they have in common - and a few more subtle differences. Here are six things I have learned in the past six months.

1. Aspirations are equally high

Despite the contextual differences, aspirations are just as high at the MAT, if not higher.

This might be because many of our young people will be the first in their family to go to university. Elite university entrance will not have been an expectation, so, as a result, colleagues are even more focused on opening doors.

Opportunities do not present themselves in the way that they might automatically in a premium international school network.

As a result, colleagues are always actively seeking them out, and that means they are always a priority. The school ski trip was the first time many young people had left the country, which makes supporting this type of venture even more important.

2. Networks matter

So if aspirations are just as high or higher, many of the features of an elite education work just as well in a MAT context.

An alumni network, for example, is an expectation in the premium international sector. But perhaps it is even more valuable for young people in a MAT. They may not have a network of their own to help them into the world of work.

So the one we are creating as the MAT grows becomes even more important - we can take this a step further and augment it with the resources of Saracens Rugby Club. The opportunities they provide in hospitality and work experience contribute in a really meaningful way, and we are keen to build on this further.

3. Ofsted is king - but that’s not all bad

I’ve written before about the positives of international school inspections and reviews compared with their domestic equivalents.

Reviews I took part in around the world as a reviewer, head of school or governor always felt more collaborative and improvement-focused - they might inform decisions but were never the main focus of development priorities.

However, returning to state education, it feels that, despite a new inspection framework, little has changed, with accountability measures still driving improvement focus and Ofsted inspections often top of mind in decision making.

That isn’t wholly bad - it does give schools the chance to improve and celebrate progress. For example, Saracens Bell Lane Primary School recently saw attendance exceed the national average for the first time.

That ability to have a clear area of focus, make a change, improve and share that with staff and parents was a great morale boost. That is even more important than any international school development I worked on.

4. The growth demand

Both international school groups and MATs are focused on growth.

British private schools are looking to find new income streams as a means of insulating themselves against the impact of VAT on school fees. MATs need to reach a reasonable size to deliver the financial efficiencies of being in a trust.

As such, and especially given the direction of the government’s recent schools White Paper, conversations about topics relating to growth, partnerships, mergers, acquisitions and financial projections are as common as they were in my international role.

5. Freeing up leaders

In my past role, working across time zones, it was hard to reduce the burden on heads from logistical matters so they could get on with focusing on the young people at the heart of the schools they ran.

In my new role, I see the MAT team are much more hands-on and take care of the central functions in finance, HR and IT, so leaders in the schools can get on with the key things that matter for the young people on the ground.

6. Setting the tone

Finally, it has been clear that the CEO role is also about setting the culture of the organisation and taking a holistic view to ensure we are moving in the same direction - similar to my past role at Wellington.

It may not involve flights around the world, but visiting our schools, chatting to children and leaders, and engaging with parents, governors and other stakeholders is vital to truly understand the schools you are working with and ensure a focus on quality and assurance that means we are providing the best educational experience possible for children wherever they are in the world.

Chris Woolf is chief executive at Saracens Multi-Academy Trust, which runs three schools in North London

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