MSOs seek to cut the administrative workload of principals, create the conditions needed for every teacher to strengthen their practice, and ensure all students receive the support they need to fulfil their potential.

The five-year MSO trial began in Term 1 2026, with three Southern Tasmanian primary schools: Moonah Primary, New Town Primary and Risdon Vale Primary. These schools are now working closely together, supported by a joint executive team, that is working with school principals to develop a shared MSO school improvement strategy that focuses on quality teaching and lessening the burden of administration and back-office tasks.

Tasmania’s first MSO is currently led by Interim Chief Executive Officer Jason Szczerbanik, an experienced Tasmanian principal and senior public servant. Gail Peyton will take over as Chief Executive Officer in October, bringing with her more than two decades of experience driving school improvement across multi-academy trusts in England, where the schools she led consistently exceeded national benchmarks. Joe Howlett is the Head of Operations. He is a former headteacher with extensive experience building effective operational systems and processes that enable teachers to focus on student learning.

McKinnon is supporting the MSO Trial in Tasmania as a part of its broader commitment to extending Australia’s understanding of the MSO model.

According to analysis by the not-for-profit FFT Education Datalab, of the nearly 600 schools that were rated inadequate by Ofsted between 2006-2019 and subsequently taken over by a MAT, almost nine in ten are now rated good or outstanding.  

The multi-academy trust policy in England has strong bipartisan government support, dating back to the early 2000s. There is a lot Australia can learn from England’s school reforms – both its successes and its hard-won lessons – as we establish MSOs fit for the Australian context.  

In 2024, McKinnon organised a delegation of politicians and education leaders to the United Kingdom to see the multi-academy trust model in action. Among the delegates was Minister Jo Palmer and senior Tasmanian Government officials, who saw first-hand how schools working together can lift standards. The Tasmanian Government has since committed to trialling the approach, delivering on a key recommendation of the Independent Review into the Tasmanian Education System. 

In 2025, McKinnon worked closely with the Tasmanian Government to support the design and implementation of the trial. This included allocating $700,000 in philanthropic support for the Trial, which funded world-leading UK and Australian education expertise and research, and international learning opportunities for Tasmanian Government and MSO school leaders to observe high performing multi-academy trusts firsthand in England. 

Separately, McKinnon is also working with other Australian states to explore the potential of the MSO model. Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll visited high performing UK multi-academy trusts with the Secretary of the Victorian Education Department earlier this year, following two previous visits involving Victorian MPs and senior officials. Senior officials from Queensland’s Department of Education have also visited the UK with McKinnon to study the MSO model. 

McKinnon is working closely with the Tasmania Department for Education, Children and Young People as an implementation partner. We are providing international expertise, philanthropic investment and long-term support to make the trial a success so that Tasmanian children can benefit. An independent evaluation will ensure transparency and guide future reform. 

Mr Baird said the initiative has significance well beyond Tasmania:

“Our role is not to run schools, but to help governments take the best global evidence and turn it into lasting change. If this works in Tasmania, it can reshape the way we think about schooling across Australia. We are proud to stand with teachers, leaders, parents and communities at the start of this exciting journey.”