Over the last two decades, the school system in England has evolved from a local authority (LA) led-system to a system in which today nearly half of all schools have been academised. As academisation has progressed, the Government has promoted the formation of multi-academy trusts (MATs) (House of Commons Education Committee, 2017; Department for Education, 2022k). This report provides new insights into the current MAT landscape by investigating how the mainstream school system has evolved so far. It sheds light on the key potential considerations and challenges in either pursuing an all-MAT system or in maintaining the current status quo, although it does not consider whether the ambition for a MAT-led system is desirable in itself. Finally, the report explores the role of LAs within the current school system and their views on the recent academisation policy proposals.