From seeds of creativity to strategic collaboration - how trust central structures evolve as they grow -

As trusts evolve, their challenges change, from building central functions to integrating, innovating, and sustaining them. Our latest article for Trust Leadership Today distils key lessons from CJK’s research into how successful trusts grow and adapt:

1️⃣ Know your phase – be honest about where you are in your growth journey.

2️⃣ Anticipate the crisis – plan your next operating model shift before it’s forced on you.

3️⃣ Invest in data and systems – technology is the enabler of coordination and strategic insight.

4️⃣ Balance efficiency with agency – standardisation works best when it’s co-created, not imposed.

5️⃣ Keep people at the heart – wellbeing and talent matter as much as financial efficiency.

The central team of the future won’t be defined by its size or cost, but by the value it creates through collaboration, combining scale, expertise, and technology to help every school, and every pupil, thrive.

Read the full article in Trust Leadership Today - download the Autumn 2025 issue here.