LEO Academy Trust is incredibly proud to announce that it has been honoured with three national accolades at the prestigious MAT Excellence Awards 2026.

At a celebratory ceremony hosted by Optimus Education, the Trust was named the winner of the SEND Award, the Staff Development Award, and the highly coveted Wellbeing Trust of the Year.

The MAT Excellence Awards celebrate exceptional impact, innovation, and strategic excellence among multi-academy trusts across the country. Bringing home three distinct awards highlights LEO Academy Trust's position as a forward-thinking leader in the UK primary education landscape.

A Validation of Our Strategic Vision

These specific awards mirror the core pillars that define LEO Academy Trust: inclusive education, innovative staff empowerment, and holistic community wellbeing. Rather than seeing these areas as separate initiatives, LEO integrates them to form a unified ecosystem where technology supports workload reduction, and sustainable working practices foster happier, more impactful classrooms.

“Winning these three awards is an incredible milestone for everyone at LEO Academy Trust on our ongoing mission to provide great learning communities, excellence for all, and endless opportunities,” said Shareen Wilkinson, Chief Education Officer at LEO Academy Trust. “These accolades directly reflect the hard work, passion, and collaborative spirit of our teachers, support staff, leaders, and pupils across all 12 of our schools. It proves that our unique operating model - which heavily invests in digital innovation and central inclusion support - is delivering life-changing results on the ground.”

What the Judges Handed Down:

The SEND Award

The judging panel praised LEO’s innovative fusion of technology and inclusion, known internally as 'PedTech'. By guaranteeing a 1:1 Chromebook framework equipped with robust assistive technologies, the Trust ensures SEND pupils have individualised, accessible routes to success.

From the Judges: “LEO’s clear impact and use of pupil voice was commended by the judges, as they communicated a strong ethos and cohesiveness of culture across their schools. Areas the judges highlighted include their work on attendance, reduction of exclusions, outreach, engagement from young people, and environmental adaptations. Supported by evidence that demonstrated the lived experience of LEO’s approach, their significant investment in, and pioneering empowerment of, SEND learners was clear to the panel.”

The Staff Development Award

LEO’s sector-leading digital and AI strategy received special acclaim. By embedding artificial intelligence platforms like Google Gemini to automate administrative workflows and resource generation, LEO has saved participating teachers an average of 2.9 hours per week, reducing burnout and leading to unprecedented retention figures.

From the Judges: “LEO’s outward facing, wide-reaching system leadership impressed our judges, with more than 1,000 visitors to their schools last year. They are ‘unparalleled’ with their professional generosity nationally and internationally, but also were commended for their ‘incredible’ 100% ECT retention statistics for the year. The benefits that they have drawn for staff based on their AI adoption and usage also received a special mention from the panel.”

Wellbeing Trust of the Year

Central to LEO’s operating framework is the LEO Inclusion & Wellbeing Hub. Fully funded centrally, the hub provides all member schools with specialised mental health teams, Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs), and family support workers free of charge, ensuring wellbeing isn't a premium addition, but a foundational right.

From the Judges: “LEO Academy Trust demonstrated a wide range of initiatives and interventions that effectively support student wellbeing. The judges commended the clear impact, parent voice, and whole-trust embedding of a tailored approach to student wellbeing. Their tiered intervention structure is comprehensive and includes students, staff, parents and the community. The trust shared its aspiration to create a sense of belonging in a secure and positive environment, putting wellbeing at the forefront with on-the-ground, impactful and tangible initiatives.”

Celebrating Together

This achievement follows several major milestones for the Trust, including expanding international peer-learning through the Turing Scheme and the ongoing success of our Trust Wellbeing Network Learning Community.

LEO Academy Trust extends its deepest gratitude to Optimus Education, the independent judging panel, and our incredibly dedicated community of staff, governors, trustees, parents, and pupils who make achievements like this possible.

To view the full directory of this year's exceptional winners, please visit:

https://www.matexcellence.co.uk/winners/winners-2026