The small MAT eligibility test.
The two gates are independent and both must be open. A 4-school trust with 3,100 pupils is out. A 5-school trust with 2,400 pupils is also out. Crossing either threshold mid-cycle is treated under the rule below.
Compiled by Oliver Wakefield-Smith, founder, Digital Signet. Reviewed against ESFA Information for Applicants 2026-27 and the Condition Funding Methodology March 2026 revision.
The two gates
Gate one: fewer than 5 academies in the trust at the application date. Gate two: fewer than 3,000 pupils across all academies in the trust at the most recent October school census.
Both gates must be passed. ESFA does not average or apportion.
How pupils are counted
Pupils on the October school census count, all phases, including any sixth form. Off-roll or alternative-provision pupils do not count.
Where the trust acquired a new academy between the census date and the application date, the new academy's pupils are added to the trust total at the latest available roll.
Crossing the threshold mid-cycle
A trust eligible at application date is assessed against that snapshot. If the trust grows during the round, eligibility is unaffected for the bid in play; the next round is assessed against the new snapshot.
Worked example
A four-school MAT with 2,850 pupils across two primary, one all-through and one secondary school passes both gates and is eligible. The same MAT after acquiring a fifth school in March 2026 would fail gate one for the 2027-28 round, regardless of the pupil total.