Guidance and regulation

Guidance on the role of the Department for Education in making commissioning decisions about academy trusts.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 6 July 2023

How maintained schools can apply to convert to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

What actions to take following approval of your academy conversion application.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

How to prepare for your school's application to convert to an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 15 June 2020

Deadlines for schools converting to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Links to the apply to become an academy service for mainstream schools, the application process for special schools and PRUs, and information about notifying your local authority.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 22 June 2020

Model document to transfer contracts and staff from a school to an academy trust as part of the academy conversion process.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 27 November 2013

Model document to help community and church schools converting to academy status transfer their school's land to the academy trust.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 29 August 2014

Advice on what schools converting to academy status need to do to make sure they can keep using their school's land after converting.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 30 April 2013

What responsibilities you should transfer to your academy trust as part of your school's conversion to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 13 January 2016

What final preparations you should complete before your school can open as an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Guidance on the DfE funding available to academy trusts for sponsored academy projects.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 29 March 2016

Model document for schools that are converting to academy status and that won’t be able to complete land negotiations in time.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 2 July 2010

Guidance for schools and local authorities on what happens if a school has a budget surplus or deficit when it converts to academy status.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 9 November 2023

What actions you should take in the first few months after your school opens as an academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 21 March 2024

Information to support local authorities interested in setting up a multi-academy trust as part of a test and learn exercise in 2022 to 2023.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 25 May 2022

Advice and application form for sixth-form colleges considering becoming a 16 to 19 academy.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 2 February 2023

Statutory guidance for local authorities, under paragraph A19 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 17 December 2010

Formal agreements between the Department for Education (DfE), the Church of England and the Catholic Church.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 18 September 2023

A DfE film including interviews and footage of innovative practice in the classroom.

• From: Department for Education
• Updated: 11 July 2014

First published during the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government