Multi-academy trust founded in Nottinghamshire shortlisted for two national education awards

Flying High Partnership, founded in Cotgrave in 2012, is gaining national recognition in education

A primary only multi-academy trust, founded in Nottinghamshire has been nominated for two awards in the national MAT Excellence Awards 2025, in recognition of its impact within the education sector.

The Flying High Partnership, founded in Cotgrave in 2012, currently has 34 schools across Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. In 2024, the trust was the recipient of the ‘Transformation and Impact Award’, and this year is nominated for the ‘MAT Excellence Award’, and ‘Staff Development Award’.

The MAT Excellence Awards celebrate excellence and impact in school trusts across the country, and this year, the results will be shared at a gala event, held at Leonardo Tower Bridge, London, on June 19^th.

Commenting on the nomination for the Staff Development Award, Mr Paul Goodman, (Deputy CEO of The Flying High Partnership), said, “At Flying High, we are committed to noticing and nurturing the talent of every staff member across our partnership.

“We are incredibly proud of the work we do in training teachers, delivering high quality CPL (continuous professional learning) within and beyond our partnership in growing future leaders. We are delighted that this work has been recognised at a national level through our nomination for the MAT Excellence Award for Staff Development.”

The Flying High Partnership’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chris Wheatley OBE said the nominations are testament to the hard work carried out by staff. “We are absolutely delighted to be nominated for both the Staff Development and MAT Excellence Award this year.

“These categories reflect our commitment to promoting schools which hold the same high aspirations for every child, and where highly trained staff can provide the optimum environment for every child to flourish.

“We are all looking forward to attending the event in June and learning about the work being carried out by our fellow nominees and multi-academy trusts from around the country; all striving to enhance the lives and opportunities of children. Our schools and their hardworking staff teams should feel proud of the impact their work is having on the lives of all the children in our care.”

The Flying High Partnership is consistently ranked in the top five performing primary-only multi-academy trusts in the country for reading, maths and disadvantage (MATs of more than 10 schools) and enjoys 100% improved or maintained Ofsted outcomes amongst all of its 34 schools across Nottingham City, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.