Academies: compliance, funding and payments
Information to help open academies and academy trusts comply with their funding agreement and understand their funding and payments.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) closed on 31 March 2025. All activity has moved to the Department for Education (DfE). You should continue to follow this guidance.
ESFA is accountable for distributing £61 billion to the education and training sector and providing assurance that public funds are properly spent.
We work closely with the Regional Schools Commissioners and other bodies to ensure a joined-up approach to assessing education, financial management and governance performance.
Our risk-based approach to academies intervention ensures compliance with funding agreements and the Academy Trust Handbook
We also lead the department’s supportive programme to encourage excellent school resource management. This includes a range of tools and resources supporting:
- effective curriculum and workforce planning
- using data and insight to monitor and improve financial performance
- commercial deals available to schools
General information
Information to help academies and academy trusts with business-cycle planning.
Academies financial management and governance
Information to help academies understand and comply with their financial management and governance requirements.
Academies financial returns
Support for academy trusts
Revenue funding and payments
Information to help academies how much revenue funding they will receive and when payments are made.
Academies compliance
Information to help academies comply with other aspects of their funding agreements. Reports, letters and notices to improve are in a separate collection.
New academies information
This section contains information for new academies to help them understand the role of Education Funding Agency and what is expected from academies.
Capital funding and estate management
Updates to this page
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We have added the link to funding for 16 to 19 students in this collection page.
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We have refreshed this collection to provide a more comprehensive list of GOV.UK pages to support academies and academy trusts.
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Updated to add a link to the new "view my financial insights" service for academy trusts.
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Updated to add more content.
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Added four documents to the collection: Academy trusts: themes arising from ESFA's assurance work; Academy trust financial management good practice guides; Academy trusts: information for new trusts; Related party transactions: information for academy trusts
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Added additional funding and compliance items.
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Added academies risk protection arrangement to the collection.
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First published.